Halo
by tanglingshadows
Summary: Daryl had done a lot of crazy shit before but letting her into his cell had been the craziest. Everything was just so dark, and he couldn't bring himself to say no to the warm light she brought into his life. Nothing was ever simple, though, especially in the apocalypse.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

Thank you again, Jen, for taking the time to edit this story!

This one is a bit different from the last one, but I hope that you'll like it just the same. The layout of the prison is a bit different simply to fit my needs better, and the timeline is changed up a bit for reasons that you'll see very soon.

* * *

_His hand slipped up the back of her shirt, and she pushed up on her toes, deepening the kiss. He had no fucking clue how he'd gotten in this position and wasn't too sure if he wanted out of it, either._

_She gasped when he popped loose the clasps on her bra, but she didn't pull away._

"_Your daddy's gonna kick my ass," he mumbled against her lips, laying her back on the small bunk in his cell._

"_He don't have to know just yet." She traced her hands up his arms and then tangled her fingers in the hair at the nape of his neck._

_He kissed her again, his tongue pushing into her mouth as she arched up against him. She dropped her hands to his jeans and slipped one inside after she got him unbuckled._

"_Shit," he groaned, dropping his head to her shoulder._

"_I guess I'm doin' somethin' right."_

_That one little comment made him cringe. "Damn, girl. How old are ya?" In his head, he chanted, "Please be eighteen," over and over as she continued to work him with her hand._

"_Seventeen," she whispered, and he shook his head but didn't speak. After several seconds of silence, she stilled her hand and asked, "Want me to stop?"_

_Daryl buried his face in her neck and swallowed hard. She'd come to him, he reminded himself, but that didn't make him feel much better. He sucked in a ragged breath, his heart hammering in his chest, and shook his head. _

_He hadn't been this wound up in a long time, and he'd never had someone as good as she was. Daryl had always thought himself strong and self-controlled—especially after the turn—but in that moment, he let his weakness win. _

"_I'm goin' to hell," he muttered and thrust into her grasp, his body tingling with sensations he'd all but forgotten._

_She smiled and leaned up to whisper in his ear, "Save me a seat?"_

* * *

Daryl shot awake, sweat dripping from his brow as he reached across the narrow bed. She wasn't there, though. She hadn't been there in three months.

He sighed and rolled over, rubbing his face as he planted his feet on the ground.

She'd stormed into his life and turned it upside down in a matter of minutes. Before she'd entered his cell, he'd seen her as just another girl. She sang nice and was cute, but he never looked at her _that_ way. Well, maybe a few times, he'd looked at her a bit longer than he should have. She always caught his eye and smiled or waved. She was a good girl. Didn't no good girls go after him.

He guessed that was a lie now, though, because she had. She wasn't a good girl when she was wrapped around him. She was a fucking hellcat, leaving scratches on his back and hickeys on his chest.

He'd have done the same damn thing if he could have gotten away with it. But she wore less clothes than him and couldn't cover up any marks he might have made.

He ran his finger along his bottom lip and sighed.

It wasn't all fucking between them, either. He missed everything about her. She used to stay with him and talk—a lot. Daryl had told her things he'd never told anyone. She was optimistic and loving—everything that was still good in the world—and she looked at him like he could bring down the stars for her. It was a powerful feeling.

He stood and glanced over at his brother before inspecting the shine shack they were calling home. Damn bullshit was what it was. He should be back at the prison with her and looking after his group.

For the millionth time, guilt settled over him at the choice he'd made.

Merle was his blood, though, and if it all worked out right, he'd have them back at the prison before too long. He just needed to make him think it was his idea first.

"Whatcha doin', Darylina?" His voice was rough, and Daryl backed away. Sometimes Merle sounded so much like their old man that it made his skin crawl.

"Getcha ass up. We gotta find food," he muttered before picking up his bow and walking out the door.

Merle stumbled out a few minutes later and started pissing right off the porch. When he finished, he slapped Daryl on the shoulder.

"You're fuckin' nasty, Merle. Damn."

Merle just laughed and went back inside. Daryl gripped his bow strap and looked through the trees, hoping today they'd at least find something decent, but then figured the hungrier Merle got, the more likely they'd head back to the prison soon.

"All right, baby brother, let's get ya fed. Swear, you're worse than a kid, goin' on about food all the time."

"Well, I was used to two meals a day before I followed your ass out into the woods again."

Merle narrowed his eyes and grunted. "Those bastards were just usin' ya. Didn't think ya were worth a shit."

"_You're kinda amazin', Daryl." Her blonde hair fell over his chest, and he shook his head. "Ya are. Trust me."_

"Whatever."

"Oh, did I hurt your feelins?"

Daryl flipped him off and picked up the pace. He scanned the ground as Merle fell into step beside him. Neither spoke for a while, but then Merle asked, "Ya hear that?"

Daryl froze and turned his head, listening closely. It was pretty distant, but something was coming their way.

"Sonofabitch." Merle kicked the ground, scattering leaves.

"C'mon," Daryl pulled on his shoulder. "We gotta move and get our shit before they find us."

They took off running and made it back to the shack in no time. Their bags were on the floor and still fully packed, but Merle stuffed two mason jars full of shine into his before they headed out the door.

On the porch steps, they paused again and listened. Merle pointed to their right and nodded before holding up both hands. Daryl knew he meant there were more than ten. He could hear that, too. Merle might have been a dickhead, but he was a damn good hunter and tracker.

They walked quietly to the left, leaving the shack and walkers behind.

* * *

"Damn, I'm fuckin' starvin'," Merle griped as they walked through the woods beside a paved county road.

"We ain't ate since yesterday. Ya should be hungry."

"Yeah, I bet you're dyin' then, seein' how you were so damn spoiled livin' with Officer Friendly and crew."

Daryl didn't say anything, but her face flashed through his mind.

"_Look what I got ya!" she whispered, her voice full of excitement. "Ya have no idea how hard it was to sneak an extra piece. People were losin' their minds over it."_

_She held out a single square of chocolate and smiled._

_He'd taken it and let it melt in his mouth a little, moaning softly at the taste before chewing it up and kissing her hard._

_Chocolate kisses, she'd called them. One of the best nights of his life._

"Ya even listenin' to me, Darla?"

"I try not to, but ya won't ever shut the fuck up."

Merle held up his hands and laughed. "Whoa ho ho. Someone's got their panties in a twist."

Daryl looked away. "Just want food."

They found a gas station a couple of miles down the road and stopped. All they found was sardines, but they ate them as quickly as they could open the can. It fucking sucked.

That night they bedded down in the back room, still hungry and in bad moods. Merle was cursing under his breath as he tried to open a jar of shine, and Daryl shook his head. He didn't give a shit if Merle only had the one hand now; he wasn't going to offer any help.

"That's gonna knock ya on your ass," he muttered and chewed his thumbnail. "Ya ain't used to it, and ya ain't ate good in a few days. Don't want ya to get poisonin' and me wake up with you as a damn walker, Merle."

"Ahhh, fuck off, baby brother. It's gonna take more than this shit to put me down."

Daryl lay back against his pack, ignoring Merle as he took a big drink out of the jar.

"That's the stuff right there." He coughed a little.

It didn't take too many more sips before Merle was out cold. Daryl went to his brother's side, screwed the lid back on the jar, and put it away.

After checking the lock on the door again, he went back to his corner and lay down, resting his hands behind his head. He closed his eyes and tried to get some rest, but his mind ran wild with thoughts of the prison and how they were all doing. No matter how much he tried, he could never just imagine them all okay. Instead, his mind harped on the bad thoughts, and he fell asleep thinking about walkers knocking down the fences and storming the cellblock.

* * *

"_I—Beth, I don't have anything," he whispered against her shoulder. He'd undressed her completely and kissed nearly every inch of her skin before making her shudder and sigh his name. Now he was hovering over her, his own clothes gone, realizing this couldn't go any further. _

"_Huh?"_

"_Don't got any rubbers," he muttered. _

"_Oh!" She reached over the edge of the bed and grabbed her jeans. "Here." She held out the foil square with a proud smile. _

"_Where the hell did ya get this?" He stared at her, wondering if he'd read her wrong. _

"_Stole it from Maggie and Glenn."_

"_Oh." He took it from her and dropped it on the bed then ran a hand through his hair. "I—uh... it's been awhile. Since before—you know?"_

"_That's okay. It's...um, it's my first time. Not really sure what to expect, but from what other girls said, it's not that great but it gets better. So, I guess my expectations aren't that high." She babbled nervously and blushed as she spoke._

_Daryl felt his cheeks redden, too. "Damn, girl, ya know how to hurt a man's ego before he's even gotten started."_

_She shook her head. "I think ya've proven yourself already, but I'm certainly lookin' forward to what else ya can do." She looked him up and down as well as she could, stopping briefly to stare at his dick pressed up against her thigh. "I want this. And I only want it with you."_

_Daryl nodded and took her lips again, sighing as she gripped his shoulders and pulled him into her harder. He'd been trying to go slow the whole night, to really enjoy and feel, but she was impatient and digging her nails into his skin, almost crying out too loudly when he did something she really liked. _

_There sure as hell wasn't any coming back from tonight. Come morning, he wasn't going to be able to pretend it didn't happen, and he could tell by the way she looked at him that she wasn't backing down, either. _

* * *

"_Why me?" he asked as he ran a hand down her side. He lay beside her with his jeans and shirt back on, but she was stark naked against him. _

"_I told ya. I wanted to."_

_He shook his head. "Don't think any women has every just 'wanted to' with me without bein' completely wasted first."_

"_Well, I did." She sent him a coy smile before sighing and snuggling into his pillow. _

_She was so beautiful and innocent looking even though her hair was all tangled and her lips were swollen and red. Daryl glanced around quickly and felt ashamed that he'd given in so quickly, especially in such a public place. Anyone could have walked in, but he'd been too caught up to think about it. _

_He cleared his throat and said, "Your first time should have been with someone special to ya. Somewhere better than this."_

"_It was special," she whispered, cuddling closer. "I've had a crush on you for a while. Just figured I'd act on it instead of bein' scared. We don't got the time to waste anymore, ya know? Plus, it was well worth the jump." She kissed his cheek before settling back against the pillow. _

_He thought about her words long after she'd snuck back to her cell._

_It wasn't until much later though that he realized how right she was._


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Thanks, Jen, for editing this and to everyone that reviewed last chapter! I hope you continue to like the story!

* * *

"_Do ya think we'll be here forever?" she'd asked him one night as they lay in his cell. She'd been coming there every night since he'd let her stay the first time, and he couldn't say that he minded it. _

_He knew she was careful, too. So far, no one had suspected anything was going on, and he hoped to keep it that way for a while. It wasn't that he was embarrassed to be with her. He just wasn't looking forward to the looks he was going to get when it came out that he was nailing sweet, little Beth Greene. _

_The group kinda held her in a position of sacredness. To them she was hope embodied or some shit, and he didn't think they'd be too thrilled that she'd shacked up with his ass. _

_He sighed and twisted a curl of her hair around his finger, pushing away those thoughts. "Don't really know. If the fences hold up, maybe."_

"_Hmmm. I wish we could get some pretty curtains to hang over the bars, then."_

"_Why?" He furrowed his brow and looked at the plain white sheet that he'd strung across his cell for a little privacy. Most of the time, he slept out on the ledge because he didn't like to be boxed in, but he'd taken to going to his cell most nights to wait for her. _

"_If we're gonna be here a while, it would be nice if it was more homey."_

"_You're kinda crazy, huh?" he asked quietly, pulling her closer to his side. He liked her, though. She was special. _

"_A little. I just don't like all the gray. It's the end of the world, but maybe it doesn't have to look like it in here."_

"_Maybe. Ya have to write it down so I can get it on a run."_

_She shook her head. "I don't mind tellin' you, but everyone else? They'd think it was stupid," she whispered._

_He didn't say anything because she was right. The others would shake their heads when they read it. Hell, a few weeks ago, he'd have done that, too, but for some reason, he didn't think it was stupid at all now. He understood it—understood her better than before. _

_They'd been doing this for a couple of weeks and the perception everyone had about her was wrong. She wasn't naive or childish. She was just desperately holding on to what life had been like before. What life could be like again if they'd just listen to her instead of giving her Judith to care for and letting her make dinner. _

_Daryl didn't realize how much was right under the surface, and he felt a kinda shitty that he'd written her off so easily before. _

"_One day, I'll get ya some fuckin' curtains," he said after she'd fallen asleep. "Whatever ya want."_

* * *

Daryl scratched the bridge of his nose and looked over the pawnshop. It had been emptied long ago, but Merle said he could find all the hidden good stuff. Sure enough, he came out of the back room a few minutes later with a little baggie of pills.

"Shouldn't look so damn proud of yaself," Daryl said as he shook his head. "We got more important shit to worry about than ya gettin' high."

"I might agree with ya after I take a couple of these." He opened the bag and popped two in his mouth, crunching them like candy.

"How ya even know what they are?"

"Just some damn pain pills, Mother. Don't ya worry yaself about it."

Daryl had to admit Merle was a lot easier to get along with that afternoon, but then he felt bad for preferring his brother on pills rather than sober.

That night they slept in a barn on the outskirts of town, and Daryl fought down all the feelings that were settling in his chest.

He worried about Beth and her family. He worried about the prison and how the others were. Had the people from Woodbury managed to get there after all the shit he and Merle had caused calmed down? Were the ones who made it even decent people or just the shitty ones that cheered on his and Merle's fight?

Daryl knew that Rick would get rid of them before they could do anything and that Glenn was already itching to fuck up some Woodbury natives, so he tried to calm down enough to sleep.

* * *

_She sat on his lap as he looked out the windows of the guard tower. _

_They didn't mess around up here. He took guard duty very seriously, and as much as he loved getting her naked, these nights were just as good. She'd lay her head on his shoulder, and he'd play with her hair as she talked to him about different things. They'd gotten good at sneaking around since they started this about three months ago, but it made him feel like a shithead that he made her hide it. He knew she was getting impatient with him and wanted him to go talk to her daddy about them, but he didn't really feel like dying just yet. _

"_Ya ever go to jail?"_

_Daryl snorted. "I look like a criminal to ya, woman?"_

"_Naw, ya look like ya could be dangerous, though. I bet ya beat up your fair share of guys."_

"_Maybe," he whispered and kissed her shoulder. "Don't mean I got caught."_

_She laughed and hugged him before nuzzling his neck. "I slapped a girl once," she said quietly, her breath tickling his skin._

"_Oh yeah?" he asked, pushing her hair over her shoulder. _

"_Uh- huh. She called Maggie a whore, so I hit her. Daddy was so mad. I got sent home from school for the rest of the week."_

"_Ya sure she deserved it?" Daryl asked, smiling when she pinched his side. _

"_Ya sayin' my sister's easy, Dixon?"_

"_Well, she sure as hell didn't play hard to get." She pinched him harder. "Guess it runs in the family 'cause I remember gettin' jumped, too. Ya Greene girls are hot-blooded, huh?"_

"_You're such a dick." She shook her head, but he knew she wasn't mad because she was trying to hold in a smile. _

"_Your daddy'd have a heart attack if he knew how ya seduced me."_

"_Seduced? Please," she scoffed._

"_Songbird," he whispered, turning her head and kissing her. "I didn't fuckin' know what hit me."_

* * *

"What the fuck have ya done, Merle?" Daryl pushed his shoulder and watched him slump over. He was passed out cold, and the pill bag and shine jar were both empty. "I swear to God, I'ma kill ya myself. Ain't even gonna let the booze and drugs do it for me."

Daryl watched him sleep for hours before he groaned and rolled over, holding his head.

"Hope ya hurt, ya asshole," he muttered, kicking a bucket over to him right as he started throwing up.

"Fuck you," he coughed out between dry heaves. When he was finished, he lay back down on the floor, sighing heavily. After a few seconds, he looked over at Daryl. "Ya can't let me do that again," he whispered.

Daryl nodded and looked away from his brother's pale face. They both knew that the only thing that would end up killing Merle before old age would be his own stupidity.

Neither spoke the rest of the afternoon, and Daryl went out on his own to grab some food. He found a couple of cans of beans and brought them back right before dark.

"What's the plan?" he asked as he ate the beans straight from the can.

"We need someplace safe to stay," Merle muttered, looking around the dingy room.

Daryl waited a minute and then said, "They'd let us in. All we have to do is show up, especially since we took care of things for 'em."

"Ain't gonna be their bitch," he said and closed his eyes.

"We ain't nobody's bitch. We gotta be smart, though. We ain't gonna last out here on our own, Merle."

"Well, I think I gotta little more roughin' it left in me before I go and ask Sheriff Rick if he can spare a bed." Merle looked over at him and narrowed his eyes. "Why ya so interested in goin' back?"

"'Cause I had a damn bed and food."

"Uh-huh." He didn't believe him, but Daryl was done talking. He'd already pushed him too hard for the night.

"Go to sleep. Ya need to be on your toes when we head out in the mornin'."

* * *

_She was singing quietly under the shower spray, and he watched her with his arms crossed over his chest. _

_He couldn't stop himself from sneaking off to watch her after she'd left the kitchen. Things had been rough for both of them, and he wasn't sure how to smooth things out._

"_You're starin'." She smiled over her shoulder at him and went back to singing. _

"C_an't help it. You're puttin' on a show for me." He stepped closer, but didn't make to take off his clothes. _

"_Why don't ya join me?" she asked, moving forward to unbutton his shirt. _

"_Too risky. Don't want nobody walkin' in on us."_

_Beth nodded and turned off the water before grabbing her towel. "It would be terrible if ya got caught messin' around with me."_

"_It would," he agreed but realized too late she was being sarcastic. _

"_See ya around," she whispered and slipped past him. _

_Later, he found her in the kitchen by herself, getting stuff ready for dinner. _

"_Hey, songbird," he said quietly. She didn't turn around, so he walked over to the counter beside her and whispered, "Ya know I didn't mean it like that."_

"_Yeah," she said and smiled tightly. _

"_I mean it."_

_She took a step toward him, wrapped her arms around his neck, and leaned up to kiss him, but he stepped back quickly, putting space between them and glancing at the door._

"_I get it, Daryl," she whispered, moving back to the stove. "I'm good enough for ya to fuck, but God forbid anyone find out."_

"_Don't ya talk like that." His voice was rough and he grabbed her arm, turning her to him. "You're better than that shit. Even if I act like an asshole, don't ya come down here with me."_

"_Just go." She pulled her arm from his grasp. _

_He waited a few seconds then stalked out of the kitchen and into the yard. Fucking woman, twisting his words. _

_That night when she came to his room, she lay down beside him and whispered, "I think we should tell people about us."_

"_Naw," he said quietly. _

"_Why not?"_

"_If they never know, ya don't gotta deal with all the fallout from it."_

"_Are ya serious?" She sat up and pushed herself off the cot. "We've been together like this for months. Do ya feel nothin' for me?"_

"_Ya mean a lot to me."_

"_I can't even with ya, Daryl." She sighed and shook her head. "Either we're gonna tell people about us or we're gonna stop this."_

_Panic shot through his chest at her words, but he kept his smirk in place as he wrapped his fingers through her belt loops and pulled her to him. "Ya don't mean that, girl." And then he used all the things he knew she liked to make her remember why they didn't need to stop this just yet. _

"_My birthday's next week. I'll be eighteen—not that it really matters anymore. I want us to be a couple in public. We don't have to show tons of affection, but I want 'em to know you're mine. I'm proud of that."_

"_Your standards ain't exactly high, are they?"_

_That pissed her off, and she stood, yanking up her clothes and ignoring him completely. _

"_When ya decide I'm worth it, ya know where I'm at."_

_She left his cell in a huff, and he buttoned up his shirt and went out to the ledge. _

_Worth it? _

_He scoffed and closed his eyes. _

_She was worth everything, and that was exactly why he didn't want to open his mouth about what they had going. Didn't make no sense for her to be with him. Soon, she'd realize it, and he'd be the one left alone. _


	3. Chapter 3

Ch. 3

Thank you, Jen! You're awesome.

Thank y'all so much for reading and reviewing! I love to read your thoughts!

* * *

"_Got ya somethin'," he whispered to her. She hadn't come to see him in his cell since she'd stomped out the week before. "Happy birthday."_

_He'd been on a run and picked it up for her. He felt like such a tool as he'd stuffed it into his bag. _

"_Thanks," she said quietly, moving the sheet aside and motioning him in. _

_She took his pack and opened it, smiling. "Ain't had a gift in a while."_

"_Well, ya deserve one for puttin' up with my ass like ya have." He leaned against the wall, watching her. _

_When she pulled out the dark purple curtains and tension rods, she gasped. "Oh, Daryl."_

_Immediately, he felt like he'd opened up a door for her straight into his chest, and he tried to make it not seem as big as it was. "Ain't nothin'. Just knew ya wanted somethin' like 'em."_

_She set them on her cot and hugged him. "Just when I start to give up hope, ya go and do somethin' like this and it makes me stupid for ya again."_

"_I guess that's good news for me then."_

_That was the last time they were together before everything went to hell. In the coming days, he'd try to remember how she'd softly kissed his shoulder before tugging off his shirt. He stopped worrying about his back when he was around her. She didn't draw attention to his scars. Instead, she'd get so lost in him she'd dig her nails into his skin, leaving all kinds of marks that he actually liked to feel against his shirt the next day. _

_The day they'd set out for Woodbury, he pulled her aside and kissed her softly. "Don't ya fuckin' worry, ya hear me? We're gonna get your sister and Glenn, and we're all comin' home." He glanced around to make sure they were still alone before he kissed her again. "Things are gonna be okay, Beth. I swear."_

"_Please be safe," she whispered and hugged him tightly. _

"_I'll be back before ya know it, girl, promise."_

_The following day, he slipped off into the woods with his brother and went back on his word to her. _

* * *

His shoulder was getting pushed hard, and he jerked awake, panting heavily and looking around. Merle stood over him, squinting like his head hurt. It probably did. The pills were all gone, but he had been working on that second jar of shine for the past couple of weeks.

"Ya all right?" he asked, sounding genuinely concerned for once.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah, bad dream. Christ almighty," he said and lay back down, throwing his arm over his eyes.

He heard Merle shuffle back over to his pallet, and he tried to calm down his breathing, but all he could think about was the dream. Running around the prison, yelling for her, but she never answered, and all that was left in her cell was blood-splattered walls. He could barely contain the urge to get up right then and start back to the prison. He'd never fucking forgive himself if something bad happened to her when he was gone.

He might not have told her, but she meant a lot to him—more than any other person besides Merle. Daryl felt responsible for Beth, and he hated not knowing how she was, how everyone was doing.

"So, ya got a girl?" Merle cleared his throat, and Daryl moved his arm and glared at him. "Don't look at me like that. You were screamin' her name so loud I thought we were gonna have to fight off walkers to get out of this shithole."

"Don't know what you're talkin' 'bout," he grumbled, rolling away.

"Whatever. At least I know why ya got such a hard-on to go back to the prison. Just happy to hear ya weren't givin' it to the cop."

"Fuck off."

Merle laughed and stood up. "C'mon, get your shit. I'm hungry, and ya said they'd feed my ass after what we did at Woodbury."

"What're ya talkin' about?" He sat up and started getting his pack together.

"Figure since we got rid of him, we get a big welcome home dinner, and maybe one of those grateful women will hop on _my_ dick. Seein' as how one got on yours, I don't guess they're all that picky."

"Damn it, Merle, ya better watch ya fuckin' mouth."

He shot Daryl a shit-eating grin and threw his pack over his shoulder. Daryl sighed and did the same.

"It's gonna be a lot more fun to bust your balls there than it is out here where we ain't got shit to eat or nice fences to keep out the walkers. Ya gotta watch my back, though, because I don't imagine any of those bastards are gonna be happy to see me."

"I can't wait," Daryl muttered before unlocking the door and walking out.

Merle grabbed his shoulder and forced him to stop. "I'm serious. I don't wanna be there, and they ain't gonna want me there. Not after what I did."

"It'll be okay. We can work somethin' out."

The look that Merle sent his way told Daryl just how much he didn't believe him.

* * *

_It had been two weeks since he'd left with Merle, and they spent a lot of that time planning an attack on the Governor. _

_Merle wanted revenge, but Daryl wanted to kill him to protect the prison. As long as he was dead, Daryl could work on getting Merle ready to go be with the others. _

_Since he knew where everything was, Merle led him to an unguarded side of the fence, and they cut an opening in the hurricane fencing, leaving it wide open behind them. It wasn't five minutes before they were right outside their target's home. _

_They killed Martinez first and then Bowman before sneaking up the stairs to the where the Governor slept. Neither was surprised to find Andrea beside him, but it changed their plans a lot. Instead of drawing things out, they had to move fast. _

_Merle walked quietly to the side of the bed she lay on, and when Daryl motioned for him to cover her mouth, she jerked awake, pushing against him as she caught Daryl's gaze. _

_Phillip woke up because of her movements and saw Daryl standing over him. He tried to reach for his gun on the bedside table, but Daryl swiped out his hand, and the gun fell to the floor. _

"_Looks like your luck's done run out." Daryl yanked him across the bed, wrapping his arm around his chest and sliding his knife across his throat in one motion. _

_Andrea screamed against Merle's hand, her eyes wide as she watched the blood flow over Daryl's arm. _

_He tossed the body onto the bed and Merle let go of Andrea. She scrambled back from the blood, and Merle pulled back his arm, stabbing his knife-hand through the Governor's skull._

_Daryl wiped off his arms and looked at Andrea. "Ya let them know they're safe now, ya hear me?"_

_She nodded and stood shakily, knowing exactly who he was talking about. _

"_Ya might wanna start runnin', too," Merle added, smiling coldly at her. "We left the wall open."_

_They slipped off through the woods as the panicked screams of Woodbury residents filled the air. Daryl didn't like doing that, but he could be cold when he needed to, too. _

* * *

It took them a couple of days of walking to get back to the prison, and Merle used that time to pick at him about his dream and about looking like a little bitch, yelling out in his sleep like that.

"Remember," Daryl said as they walked down the driveway to the prison. "Don't be an asshole right off the bat. If you're already thinkin' they hate ya, don't give 'em any more reason to."

"Don't ya worry yaself, baby brother. They'd let ya stay no matter what I do. They prolly been missin' ya huntin' for 'em."

"Hell, I've been missin' huntin' and actually killin' somethin'. It's like all the damn animals disappeared."

"Yeah, it's the weather. Too hot for 'em, so they're stayin' cooped up."

"I know." Daryl looked down at his boots and kept up the easy pace they'd been walking even though he just wanted to run the rest of the way.

He'd been gone for nearly four and half months. She was going to be so fucking mad at him when he finally got to see her.

"So, ya gonna go surprise your woman?" Merle asked, smirking when Daryl shook his head.

"Ya need to drop that shit, ya hear? She's prolly gonna rip me a new asshole for leavin' like I did."

"I'm gonna have to watch that. I ain't never seen anyone stand up to your ass and you just sit there and take it."

"I'll take whatever she gives me then smile and ask for some more," Daryl muttered as they followed the curve in the driveway that put the prison in view.

Immediately, they saw Rick and Glenn fighting off walkers as they tried to get back to the gate. Without hesitating, Daryl took off running across the yard with Merle trailing behind him.

Rick didn't see either one of them, but Glenn's eyes narrowed at Merle before he turned back to the walker that had staggered up beside him.

Daryl watched Rick fall back against the fence and yell as he tried to push away the walker that had him pinned. He drew up his bow, took aim, and sent a bolt straight through the walker's head. When Rick pushed it down, he met Daryl's eyes as he panted for breath and nodded once before he turned and struck down the walker moving up on his left.

It took them a few minutes of combined effort to kill the twenty or so walkers that had ambushed them, but once they were finished, Rick and Daryl stood a few feet apart, catching their breath. Rick's eyes occasionally darted to Merle, but he didn't speak.

Finally, Daryl asked, "Got room for us?"

Rick paused and looked over at Merle once again before nodding slowly. "Ya ain't gonna start no shit, are ya?"

Merle shrugged. "I might not start it, but if that Chinese kid starts somethin', I might finish it." He looked over at Glenn, who was fuming off to the side.

"He's Korean, ya dipshit," Daryl said, shoving him. "Didn't we just talk about ya pretendin' to have some sense for a while?"

"Fuck off, Darla."

"Don't know why ya had to bring him back," Glenn said, shouldering his rifle.

Merle smirked at Glenn and scratched his temple with his middle finger.

"We ain't gonna have trouble between y'all," Rick said, looking between the two. "I think Merle proved whose side he's on."

Glenn stared at Merle then over at Daryl before walking away, clearly pissed.

"Don't know why I put off comin' here for so long. I already feel right at home," he snarked, walking toward the cellblock door Glenn had gone through.

"I better head after him," Daryl said and nodded toward Merle's back.

"It's good to have ya back." Rick clapped a hand on his shoulder and followed him back through the gate. It was then, as Rick walked toward an area of the yard that looked freshly tilled, he noticed Rick wasn't carrying his gun.

He didn't have much time to think about the reasons behind that. When he was halfway across the yard, Hershel caught his eye and waved him over. He felt guilty in the man's presence now. Daryl looked over him, noticing he was without his crutches, standing on two legs.

Hershel must have seen the confusion on his face because he pulled up his right pants leg to reveal a prosthetic.

"That's good." He nodded, gripping the strap of his bow.

"Yeah, Michonne found it for me. I'm glad ya came back," he said and looked over toward Rick. "We need ya."

"Yeah, well, we'll see," he muttered, turned away, and walked quickly toward the door.

"What the hell is that piece of shit doin' here?" Maggie's voice carried through the block, and Daryl groaned.

"Easy there, doll." Merle laughed. Daryl rounded the corner to see him raise his hands up and back away. "I'm with him." He pointed at Daryl, and Maggie's eyes widened a little before she shook her head and walked away.

"Get a fuckin' cell and stay put. I'll bring ya somethin' to eat."

"Ya ain't bein' nice, Daryl." He leaned in close and whispered, "I might have to start tellin' folks about that dream of yours."

Daryl stopped and turned, whispering furiously, "I'll beat your ass."

Merle smirked again and started whistling as he walked away.

Damn asshole.

* * *

He found her in the kitchen, stirring something in a pot and humming softly. He was glad she'd missed all the yellin' and that she was alone.

He swallowed, trying to get rid of the lump in his throat, and asked, "Ya miss me, songbird?"

She froze instantly and then slowly turned to look over her shoulder. After several beats of silence, she threw down the spoon and faced him fully. She was fucking furious.

"I'm gonna kill ya, Daryl Dixon!" she whispered angrily. "How could ya leave me like that?"

As she walked toward him, he caught sight of the swell of her belly under her shirt. Just like that, his heart stopped and his vision went black.

* * *

"_Did ya ever want kids?" she asked quietly. "I mean, you're in your thirties, ya ever settle down?"_

"_Ha. No." His tone told her to drop it, but he knew she wouldn't._

"_Really? No girlfriends? No wives?"_

"_None."_

"_You're not bein' very forthcomin'."_

_He chewed on his thumbnail and sat up on the bed. "That's 'cause there's nothin' to say."_

"_So, you've always been single, and I've been your first everythin'?" She quirked an eyebrow and crossed her arms over her bare chest. _

_He needed to get out of there, but he didn't want to leave yet, even if she was being nosy as hell._

"_Ya know ya weren't," he muttered. _

"_Ya never—"_

"_I ain't never had a relationship like this before."_

"_Like a booty call without the callin'?" She snorted and reached for her shirt. _

_He grabbed her arm and stopped her. "We both know this ain't somethin' like that, and ya know exactly what I'm sayin'."_

_She snatched her arm away. "Then say it. Don't be vague." _

_He leaned over and pinned her to the bed, staring straight down at her. "You're mine. I'm yours. There ya go." Daryl pushed away and got dressed while she stared at him, not saying a single word. _


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

Thank you for editing this story, Jen! I hope you readers like this one!

* * *

"He just hasn't eaten in a while is all." Merle's voice was the first thing he heard when he came to. "Part of the reason we headed this way."

"Beth, can ya get him somethin' to eat when he wakes up?" Rick asked quietly.

"Sure." Her voice was farther away than the others.

He heard footsteps retreating and opened his eyes slowly.

Hershel kneeled beside him. "Did he hit his head on anythin', Beth?"

"Just tha floor, but I wouldn't worry too much—he's got a thick skull," she muttered as she started spooning some soup into a bowl.

"Hey there, baby brother." Merle caught his eye and raised an eyebrow. "How ya feelin'?"

"Get the hell off me," he said and sat up, causing Hershel to fall backwards a little to get out of his way. "Sorry," he said to Hershel and helped him back up on his knees.

"Eat some food and get some rest. You're prolly dehydrated, too."

Daryl nodded, and Hershel stood and walked past Beth, patting her shoulder before heading out the door.

"Can I get some of that, Princess?" Merle asked, taking a seat at the small table in the corner.

"Getcha own damn food," Daryl muttered as he sat down in front of his own bowl.

"Sure," Beth said as she finished fixing up another bowl. "There ya go. I'll get y'all some water."

Daryl didn't look up at her or say anything. He was about to lose his fucking shit, and when he looked up at Merle and saw real concern in his eyes, he drained the rest of his soup in a couple of pulls and walked out the door.

He could feel her eyes on him, but he had to get out.

He hadn't gotten halfway down the hallway when Merle came up behind him. "What the fuck?" he whispered, grabbing Daryl's shoulder. "Ya knocked up jailbait? Have ya lost your damn mind?"

"Shut your fuckin' mouth." Daryl pushed him away and started walking again.

"Ya better hope like hell that girl keeps her fuckin' mouth shut about ya bein' the daddy or your ass is grass, Daryl."

That almost made him stop because Merle _never_ called him by his name, and he wanted to know just how Merle was sure no one knew the kid was his. Hell, maybe it wasn't. Maybe she moved on to one of those Woodbury men after he left.

Even as he thought it, he cringed. Beth wasn't like that, and he was a bastard for thinking it. Not to mention she'd have his fucking balls if he said it out loud.

He made it to his cell to see things had been cleaned up since he left and figured it must have been her doing. Without much thought, he lay back on his cot and tried to calm down his heart.

A few minutes passed and he heard someone walking towards his cell. The footsteps were light, which let him know it was a woman, but he really wasn't ready to deal with Beth, "Didn't even stop by to say hi?" Carol asked, stepping into the cell.

"Ain't really in the mood to talk."

"Heard you passed out in the kitchen." She sat down by his feet as she spoke. Daryl shrugged and closed his eyes. "A lot's been goin' on since you left us."

He grunted and threw a hand over his face.

"Don't you wanna know all the juicy gossip?"

"Ya know I don't give a shit about that kinda stuff."

"Beth's pregnant," she said happily, ignoring what he'd just said.

"I noticed," he said dryly.

"You should go talk to her."

"Why the fuck would I go talk to her?" he asked, trying to keep up appearances, but Carol snorted and laughed.

"If you think I didn't notice what was going on, you're insane. Maggie already suspects but would never question Beth about it."

"Y'all need to keep your noses out of other people's business," he griped, sitting up.

"I'm just tryin' to keep you alive," she said and stood when he moved off the cot.

"Don't need your advice or ya lookin' out for me. I've been takin' care of my own shit for my entire life."

Carol sighed and walked out without another word. Besides Beth, Carol was the only one who knew when not to push him or when it was just worthless talk to him. If she knew the truth, he wondered who else knew. Obviously Rick and Hershel weren't aware, but if Maggie was suspicious, she'd probably shared that Glenn.

Daryl popped his knuckles and sat back down on the bed.

He felt like shit.

Not only had he failed to keep his word to Beth when he left, but he'd left her in a terrible situation all on her own. He was completely unprepared for how to handle things with her.

* * *

He waited until everyone was asleep before he left his cell and made his way down to where Beth usually slept, but he found her cell empty. He hesitated a moment before checking the showers, but she wasn't there either.

For a moment, he felt real fear that maybe she was with someone else, but he pushed that away and checked the kitchen.

She sat with her back to him, eating something he couldn't see.

"Good stuff, huh?" she whispered, and he could see her hand move over her stomach. He almost ran away but forced himself to step into the room and walk over to the table.

She jumped when she saw him, and glanced up at his face with wide eyes.

"Hey," she whispered and looked back down at the bowl of dry cereal she was eating.

"Where'd ya get that?" he asked, taking the seat across from here and trying to keep his hands still.

Beth smiled. "Sorta mentioned to Carl that I really wanted somethin' sweet, so last run, he brought me back some Frosted Flakes. I was surprised they were still good." She took another bite and looked up at him. "How ya been?"

"We gonna pussyfoot around this?" he asked harshly even though he'd asked her a stupid question first.

"I don't guess." She shrugged and looked up at him cautiously.

"How the hell did this happen?" Another stupid question from his end while she just sat there, looking confused and scared of his reactions.

She shook her head. "I guess the condoms ya had weren't good."

"So it's my fault?" He scrubbed a hand over his face and shot her a glare.

Beth sighed. "No, Daryl, it's no one's fault. It just happened." She reached across the table to hold his hand, but he jerked back before she could. "Why are ya actin' like I'm tryin' to trap ya?"

"Ain't ya? Ya came onto me. I know those rubbers were good." He scratched his jaw and looked away. "I managed to avoid havin' kids up until _you_, so maybe it's 'cause ya took things into your own hands."

Beth pushed her food away and stood up. "No one knows the baby's yours. If ya don't want this, ya can walk away, and I'll never tell a soul, but you're not gonna sit there and accuse me of things ya know I wouldn't do. You're pissed and surprised. I get it." She walked to the door and paused. "I'm so mad at ya right now, but I'm really happy you're back, too. I worried about ya all the time."

"I worried, too," he said before he could stop himself.

They stared at each other for a few seconds, and Daryl wondered how he could feel farther away from her at that moment than he did when he was on the road with Merle. Finally, Beth looked away and let out a deep breath.

"Good night, Daryl," she whispered and walked away.

"Night, songbird," he said quietly and stared down at her leftover cereal.

* * *

"_What did ya want to be when ya were little?" she asked as she lay across his chest. _

"_Didn't really think about stuff like that. But I could fix things, so after I dropped out of high school, I went to work as a mechanic."_

"_I bet ya were so cute with your grease-stained face." Beth kissed his check and smiled against his jaw. _

"_Ya say the damnedest things sometimes, woman."_

"_I'm crazy about ya." She nipped his ear lightly. _

"_See there? What'd I just say?"_

* * *

The next two days passed painfully for Daryl, and he knew he was causing her hurt, too. He watched her from afar like he'd always done, but now there was sadness in her eyes instead of playfulness. Every time she walked past him and he could see up close how her stomach popped out, he felt like beating his own ass.

Merle kept his distance, too. He watched Daryl closely but never spoke to anyone. He went out in the morning and brought back a few squirrels, but waved off the thank-yous and sat up on Daryl's perch, watching everyone moving around and doing their jobs. He was like Daryl. If they weren't contributing something, they felt useless. Right now, Daryl knew he wasn't worth a damn.

He sat at the breakfast table, barely eating and not speaking as everyone else did what they were supposed to do to keep the place running.

Maggie and Glenn were on watch. Rick, Carl, and several Woodbury residents were out in the garden. Carol was leading some fucking story time in the library for the kids, and he didn't have shit to do.

He stood from the table and went to put his bowl in the sink when he heard Judith start crying.

"Poor baby girl," Beth said quietly. "Did we forget about you?" He peeked in kitchen and watched as she picked her up from her little crib thing. "Want some food?" she asked and spooned a bit of her oatmeal over to the baby.

"Ya gonna fix this, or do we need to head out?" Merle's sudden presence made him step away from the door quickly.

Daryl turned his head and stared down his brother. "Ain't goin' nowhere. I'll talk to 'er."

That was a lot easier said than done, he thought as he walked toward his cell. If he was going to fix this properly, he was going to have to beg for forgiveness then face the group—face Hershel. It wasn't just patching things up with Beth. When everyone found out, they'd all be upset.

Daryl pulled the curtain across the bars and settled onto the thin bunk. He didn't even know where to begin to make it right.


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

Again, thanks to Jen for editing this chapter.

Thanks so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing!

* * *

"_Ya know, I think ya like me just a little more than ya let on," she whispered as he picked her up, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. _

"_Oh yeah?"_

"_Yeah. I see how ya look at me when no one else is payin' attention to ya. You're sweet on me, Daryl Dixon. Ya just ain't gonna admit it."_

_He smirked and nuzzled her neck, making her giggle when his scruff tickled her. He redirected the conversation every time she got to talking about feelings. He cared for her a lot, but he wasn't ready to let her know how much he liked being around her. He'd never given anyone power over him like that. _

"_See? Look at ya tryin' to shut me up." She laughed as he pushed her up against the wall of the library. He'd followed her when everyone else was occupied with other jobs, and he was so glad he did. _

"_It ain't workin'."_

_He walked her over to the old couch and undressed her, taking his time with every inch of skin he exposed. After, when she laid her head on his chest, he sighed and wrapped his arm around her. _

"_Ya know, ya make the sweetest noises," he whispered, watching her blush at his words. "All the time. You're always singin' or hummin', and when we get alone, all the sounds ya make go straight through me. You're like my own little songbird, singin' just for me."_

_She turned her head into his chest to hide her smile, but he could feel it against his skin. He never knew he could feel so peaceful until he was next to her. _

* * *

Daryl let another damn week pass without seeking her out.

Occasionally, she looked his way, but she shifted her eyes from his face as soon as he noticed. Carol was giving him shitty looks, too, and Maggie had taken to watching him closely. He could have done without them adding pressure to the situation, so he avoided all group gatherings as much as possible unless he was specifically called on to be there. One of the two times he had to be present, Hershel handed him a set of keys and informed him they needed his presence on a newly formed council that was going to oversee the inner workings of the prison.

Daryl couldn't even form a sentence to tell him no—Hershel wasn't going to want him on that council when he knew what he'd done. He'd just nodded and put the keys in his pocket.

Truth was he was a fucking mess after that. He had no idea what he was going to do or how to handle things. Michonne told him to take the tower a couple of days, but there wasn't any solid schedule that he knew of. And in his stressed-out state, he didn't even think to worry about that.

In his free time, he'd been snooping around a little and found out that Beth had nothing for the baby yet, and that sort of pissed him off. She was due in two months or so. She needed shit to be ready when the time came, but she didn't even have a single fucking shirt for that kid yet. He knew she'd need a crib like Judith's and definitely some diapers, but he couldn't ask anyone about it. They'd think it was weird he was concerned.

Merle stopped by his cell earlier in the afternoon and told him, "Ya need to nut up, baby brother."

"Ya make it sound easy." He sat up and looked over at his brother.

Merle shrugged. "Why can't it be?"

Daryl spent the rest of the afternoon and into the night talking himself up. Laying on the narrow cot he and Beth had spent nights warming, he came to a few realizations he had been trying to push away.

First up, he really cared about her. He wanted to provide for her and the baby—to take care of them and see to their well-being before his own.

Second, he'd really fucked up with how he'd been acting, and he needed to apologize for that immediately.

Third, he was going to get up in the morning, go see Hershel, and tell him that the baby was his and that he and Beth were together.

"Lord, have mercy on me," he whispered to the empty cell. Then he stood up and quietly made his way down to Beth's cell. He smiled as he pushed open the purple curtains he'd given her for her birthday. At least she kept them up and hadn't burned them.

His eyes adjusted to the darkness of her cell when he closed the curtains. Beth was on her side, facing the wall. As quietly as he could, he toed off his boots and slid in behind her, placing his hand over her stomach. It felt kinda hard under his hand. She probably hadn't started showing until recently, but she was all belly. From the back, you couldn't even tell she was pregnant.

"Whatcha doin'?" she asked softly, laying her fingers over his.

"I'm a fuckin' asshole." He laid his forehead against the back of her neck. "I'm sorry for how I acted. I was just so damn surprised. That don't matter' cause I never shoulda accused ya of messin' with the rubbers. I know ya wouldn't do that."

"I would never trick ya into anythin' Daryl," she whispered and rolled over to face him.

He cupped her cheek and took a deep breath. "I'm gonna take care of you and the baby. Don't doubt that I'm gonna step up. I'll handle things for ya. I'll go ahead and tell ya—I ain't gonna be a good dad. Ain't got that in me, but I'll give ya everythin' ya need when ya need it, as soon as ya ask for it. I'll go tell your daddy tomorrow mornin', and me and you, we'll figure this shit out, okay?"

"Ya ain't gonna be around the baby?" she asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

"I'll be there. I'll help ya, but I ain't someone that should have kids. Ain't gonna be able to do things right."

"Is it because of your back?"

He pulled away a little. "Ya don't know shit about that," he whispered firmly.

"You can tell me."

"Listen, I'm gonna handle all this, all right? That's all ya need to worry about. I'll hold the kid, and ya have my word that I'd never do anythin' bad towards either one of y'all."

Beth nodded and looked down. He hadn't said it, but she knew what he meant. He wasn't gonna be like his old man, but he probably wasn't going to be like her daddy, either.

"I need ya to make me a list so I can go out on a run and get ya all the shit ya need." Daryl looked around her cell and shook his head. "Why ain't ya gotten anythin'?"

Beth sighed and shook her head. "Daryl, ya don't even know how bad things were when I found out."

"When did ya figure it out? Before I left or after?" He pulled her closer to him again.

"A couple of days after ya were gone, I started gettin' sick to my stomach and then just really tired all the time. I figured I'd just gotten lucky and caught a rare stomach bug, ya know? But it always happened around the same time every day, and then I'd be fine. Maggie was the one to bring me the test. She knew first, and I cried so hard when I found out."

Daryl hugged her tight. He'd been so wrapped up in how he was dealing with things that he didn't even stop to think about how she'd felt at first. She was probably overwhelmed and alone. He shook his head. He was an asshole for not thinking about it sooner.

"I waited and told daddy a few weeks later, and he blew up." She leaned back and met his eyes. "I've never seen him so shocked and hurt and then so angry. He kept demandin' I tell him who the father was, but I wasn't about to bring that down on _you_. Ya didn't even want people to know we were together like that. I couldn't throw ya under the bus. Besides, what if ya never came back? Or ya came back months later?" She paused and took a deep breath. "So, I told him that I wasn't goin' to say and that all he needed to know was that it was a consensual relationship and I was fine.

"He told me to write a list of all the things I needed, so I did, and he took it from me and folded it up and put it in his shirt pocket. He told me that I'd get my things when the young man that was responsible for my situation came forward and asked for it himself. That no daughter of his was gonna go at this alone, and that he was gonna make that boy take responsibility."

"Christ Almighty," Daryl whispered. "He's gonna kill me."

"He's not gonna be happy." She closed her eyes and sighed again. "He thinks it's one of the boys from Woodbury, and I swear if he keeps starin' at them like he does, one of 'em might just claim the baby out of fear."

Daryl scoffed and shook his head. "Ain't none of them boys gonna say shit to your daddy. Hell, I don't wanna talk to him, and I'm a grown man."

They were quiet for a minute before Beth whispered, "I'm givin' ya another chance to back out, Daryl. I know before ya didn't want to tell anyone about us, and I feel like you're bein' pushed into somethin' you're gonna hate. I don't want ya to hate me or the baby."

"Could never hate ya, girl." He hugged her closer and kissed the top of her head. She was right, he didn't want to make their relationship common knowledge, but it wasn't because he didn't want to be with her, it was because he wanted to be with her too much. It didn't make sense, but he was scared as hell that she'd wake up one day and realize that she shouldn't be with him. Then everyone would know that she left him. If it was just them who knew, he could hide how he felt.

"I'm still really mad at you," she whispered. "I can't believe you left like ya did. Can't believe you've been treatin' me like ya have."

"I had to leave. Rick wasn't about to let Merle come here, and he's my only family." He leaned down to catch her eyes. "I'm so fuckin' sorry for how I've been actin'. I can't tell ya that enough. I'm fuckin' ashamed of myself 'cause of it."

Beth sniffled and gripped his shirt. "I missed ya so much. It hurt so bad when ya wouldn't even look at me."

"I missed ya, too." He tilted her head up and kissed her softly, surprised that she didn't shove him away. "I'm sorry for puttin' ya through what I did, songbird. So fuckin' sorry."

She nodded and continued to cry quietly as he held her. Soon, she drifted off to sleep, and he watched over her, feeling better than he had in months despite the fact he was going to face down one pissed off man the next morning.

* * *

"_I just don't get it, Daryl." She took a few steps back. "I know ya care about me even if ya don't say it, but ya wanna keep this quiet. I don't understand. I want everyone to know how much I lo—"_

"_Don't say shit ya don't even understand, girl," he muttered, cutting her off. He didn't need to add on any more reasons why he should just walk away from her. She thought she loved him? Bullshit. Ain't nobody loved him, especially someone like her. _

_Beth's face crumbled, and his chest ached at the sight. She deserved more than him, that was for damn sure. He was taking advantage of her feelings so bad. He knew damn good and well that she wasn't going to call this off. She'd keep on lying and sneaking around to be with him all because he was a sorry, chickenshit bastard. _

_With glassy eyes, she looked at him and sighed. "One of these days, I'm gonna walk away, and you're gonna miss me so bad when I'm gone."_

_He knew without a shadow of doubt that she was right. _

* * *

He slipped back to his cell before sunrise and changed his shirt before heading out to his ledge and lying back against the cold floor.

He wasn't sure what he'd say to Hershel when the time came, but he figured it wouldn't really matter. Beth's daddy was going to be upset and feel betrayed. Hershel had trusted Daryl with a lot of things, and he'd broken that trust by giving in to Beth. But he really couldn't find it in himself to regret it.

He did regret how he handled things when she wanted to tell people. He regretted how he treated her when he got back and saw the condition he'd left her in, but he'd taken care of that. He figured they'd have more words eventually, but right now, things were settled enough to where they could get along until he told Hershel and the rest of the group found out.

There was going to be fallout, he was damn sure of that, and he wanted to know that all the anger would be pushed at him and away from her. Beth was a good person, and she didn't deserve to be bitched at or talked about.

The main thing he wanted was to keep things as quiet as possible. She needed her privacy through this, and Daryl hated dealing with people, so he wanted this to stay within their group. Those Woodbury people could keep to their own cellblock and their own shit, and his group would be the one that hashed this all out.

His heart started beating double time when he heard the first movement from the others waking up and starting their day. He didn't have a good feeling about this.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

Thanks to Jen for editing this and for everyone who is reading and reviewing!

* * *

Every morning, Hershel sat by himself at the table closest to the kitchen and read his Bible. By Daryl's logic, that was be the best time to approach him. He'd be by himself, but there would be others around, so he might not make a scene, and he would be holding on to God's word, so maybe he'd feel forgiving.

As he walked down the stairs into the dining area, he almost lost his nerve and went right back to his cell, but at the last second he saw Beth go past the kitchen door, smiling at someone inside.

_It's time to nut up, baby brother._

He straightened his shoulders and kept walking, eyeing Hershel, who wasn't paying attention to anything around him. He was eating his oatmeal and reading scripture like always.

Daryl glanced around the rest of the room, and a few tables over, Rick and Carl sat with Carol as she fed Judith. Maggie and Glenn sat by themselves, whispering quietly. Maggie started to turn in his direction but he looked away quickly. Last thing he needed this morning was her fucking stare.

Merle was sitting on the steps leading to the other cellblock, and Michonne wasn't around at all. Neither was Andrea, but she tended to go back and forth between her old group and the Woodbury group. He didn't care too much what she did, and she kept her distance from his ass, that was for sure, but he figured seeing what she did, she probably would.

Daryl sat his crossbow down on the table before Hershel's and he heard Merle snort and laugh under his breath. Wasn't no fucking way he was going to bring weapons anywhere near the man when he talked him. He almost took off his knife, too.

Hershel looked up and nodded as Daryl sat down. "Mornin'."

Daryl fidgeted with his hands under the edge of the table before drawing one up to his mouth to start chewing his thumbnail. He mumbled out a greeting and then looked away before he sighed and said, "Wanted to talk to ya for a minute."

"Whatcha need?" Hershel closed his Bible and looked up at him.

He fought for several seconds to find the right words. "I want Beth's list," he said quietly.

Hershel sighed and shook his head. "Now I know ya think I'm bein' harsh, but Daryl, that boy's got to come forward and face this. Bethy can't run away from it. It shouldn't be easy for him. I ain't gonna let her go without. If it gets closer to time and that boy doesn't come forward, I'll see about you and Glenn makin' a run for her things." He paused and smiled tightly at him. "Thank ya for tryin' to help, though. I appreciate it."

Daryl figured the air must have been sucked from the damn room because he was sure he couldn't breathe. Hershel went back to eating his food, and he just sat there in a fucking daze. Merle watched from a distance, and Daryl looked at him slack-jawed before turning back to Hershel and whispering so quietly he wasn't even sure if the man could hear him at first. Then he realized that he heard all right, he was just trying to process the words.

"I'm comin' forward and askin' ya to give me that list, Hershel."

When those eyes so similar to Beth's met his gaze, he wasn't prepared for the fury he saw there. He leaned away as Hershel stood and stared down at him.

"Ya sonofabitch," he muttered, and he slammed his fist against Daryl's jaw knocking him off the bench.

He saw it coming and he knew he deserved it, so he didn't move away. But as he picked himself up off the ground, he wished he had. Hershel packed a fucking punch.

"I know you're mad," he said, standing up straight.

"Mad? Ya think I'm mad?" His voice was thundering loudly, and he drew back his fist again and planted another solid hit to Daryl's already bruised jaw.

The others scrambled to pull Hershel back, and Merle helped him up this time. Beth had run out of the kitchen, and when she saw the scene he'd caused, she crossed the room and stood off to the side between him and her father.

"Daddy," Beth whispered and walked toward him.

"Him?" he shouted.

"Daryl's a good person," she said with a much stronger voice than his own.

"If he's such a good person, then how'd ya end up like this?" He waved his hand toward her stomach, and all of a sudden, the others reached the same conclusion and turned to Daryl with wide eyes.

"Christ," he said. "Hershel, we didn't plan on this."

"No shit," the old man muttered. It was the first time Daryl had ever heard him curse. "Y'all kept this from everyone! How long was it goin' on?" He'd turned from Beth and advanced on him again. "How long, Daryl?"

"A while," he said, dodging the question.

"Before or after her birthday? Did ya give her those curtains as a thank ya for somethin' else?"

All the nervousness drained from him and turned to anger at that one remark. Daryl snapped his gaze to Hershel's and squared his shoulders. "It was before her birthday, and ya need to watch your fuckin' mouth."

"She was a child," he said harshly.

"She came to me." Daryl said, hating the smug sound of his voice.

"And ya couldn't say no?"

"I ain't never had anythin' good in my entire life, and it just walked into my cell one night? I wasn't strong enough to say no."

"Ya little bastard," he muttered and pulled back his fist again, but Merle caught it.

"I think ya done about enough damage, old man," he said quietly, and Hershel dropped his arm. "He's taken a lot worse than what you've got to throw."

That seemed to make him switch gears, and he sighed. "That girl wears her heart on her sleeve. Y'all been at this awhile? Ya made her keep it secret, didn't ya?" When Daryl didn't answer, Hershel continued. "Ya ashamed of my little girl? Ya usin' her and didn't want anyone to call ya out on it?"

"No, daddy. Daryl wou—"

"I wasn't talkin' to you, Beth," Hershel growled and continued to stare at Daryl. "Well, ya gonna answer me? Ya ashamed of—"

He snapped. "I'm ashamed of me!" He slammed a fist to chest. "Ya don't think I know she's better than what I got to give her? That I don't know she deserves more? I ain't fuckin' stupid, Hershel. You're right; I told her to keep it quiet. Not 'cause I didn't want no one to know but 'cause I knew that one day she was gonna wake up and realize what a mistake she'd made, and I didn't want no one to hold it against her." Hershel's eyes widen at his confession, and he took a step back. "So, fuck all y'all. Ya ain't gotta come at me and tell me what a lousy piece of shit I am because I already know. Now, I want that fuckin' list."

Hershel reached into his front pocket, and pulled out the piece of notebook paper, and dropped it on the floor at his feet.

"Daddy," Beth whispered, stepping forward again.

"I can't talk to ya right now." He raised his hands up and moved past her.

Beth closed her eyes, but the tears ran down her face as Hershel slammed the door to the yard. Everyone remained frozen in place, staring at them in disbelief. When Daryl kneeled down and picked up the paper, Beth crouched down beside him and touched his face softly.

He cringed a little and shook her off. "Don't fuss," he said quietly. "Deserved it."

"Daryl, I'm sorry."

"Ain't got nothin' to be sorry for." He gave her tight smile. "I'll take care of things."

He stood up and started for the stairs.

"Daryl!" Rick called out.

"We need to talk," Maggie shouted at his back.

He just kept on walking, grabbing his bow along the way.

"Y'all just form a nice, orderly line, and he'll be right with y'all." Merle's voice was pure sarcasm as he followed Daryl back to his cell.

He felt bad for leaving Beth, but he was going to get started on this list as soon as possible. He already had one run in this morning; he didn't need another just yet.

"That didn't go so well," Merle muttered and lay down on his cot.

"No shit."

"Whatcha gonna do?"

Daryl unfolded the paper and glanced over the list. "I'm gonna look at somethin' in B Block real quick and then me and you are goin' shoppin'."

"That sounds great," Merle said dryly but stood up to follow him.

There was a door to the top level of B Block at the end of their row of cells in C, so he took his keys out and opened the door. He wondered if they'd kick him off the council and take his keys after this, but he shook that thought away.

"Why we here?"

Daryl walked into the nearest cell and looked around. It normally would have held about six prisoners, so it was bigger than the other ones.

"Ya think we can take down these bunks?" he asked as he chewed on his bottom lip.

"Don't see why not," Merle said and pulled on a top bunk. "Need some tools."

"Got tools downstairs."

"Whatcha gonna do?" Merle asked, walking around the cell.

"Gonna prove I ain't a total fuck up."

Merle shook his head. "Ya ain't gotta prove shit to those people."

"I'm doin' it for Beth," he muttered. "I ain't done right by her."

His brother shrugged. "I'll go with ya looking for shit, but I ain't gonna start decoratin' for ya."

"I just need ya to watch my back."

"I got ya, baby brother."

* * *

_He was going to have to leave soon, but he really didn't want to. He was warm, and these moments were the best of his day. _

_The night before he'd gotten in so late that all he'd done was slip in behind her and hold her close to him. _

_Daryl kissed her shoulder and moved to stand. _

"_Don't go," she whispered. _

"_Got to. Almost time for everyone to get up."_

_She huffed and pulled the covers tighter around her. _

"_I'll see ya later, songbird."_

"_Bye," she said quietly. not looking his way. _

_A few minutes later, he lay back on the cement of the ledge and looked down toward her cell. _

_He wasn't sure when it happened, but he started to let her see a different side of him. He'd let her touch him wherever she wanted, he'd answer most questions she asked him. She thought he was good and decent and was willing to wait it out for him to see that, too. _

_Daryl closed his eyes and rubbed the spot on his chest that ached. He hoped he could do that for her. _


	7. Chapter 7

After spending several minutes looking over B Block cell, Daryl and Merle went back downstairs and saw that most everyone had gone about their own jobs for the day.

Rick watched him walk down the stairs, and when he was close enough, he pointed to the seat across from him. "Sit down."

Daryl did as he was told but didn't speak.

"Ya wanna tell me how you're gonna fix this?" Rick tapped the table, making Daryl look up and meet his eyes.

"Don't really think I have to."

"What were ya thinkin'?"

Daryl sighed and stood up. "Listen, I don't need ya bustin' my balls over this. I done heard enough today. I'm gonna take care of her. Don't ya worry about nothin'."

"Ya gonna make his right?" Rick asked, cocking an eyebrow.

"Right how? I just told ya. I'm gonna handle things."

"Ya gonna make an honest woman outta her? Because that might settle Hershel down a little. Right now, he thinks you're just fuckin' around with his baby girl. Ya prove you're serious, he might not try and shoot ya."

"What? Ya gonna chase me down the aisle with a shotgun, Rick? I ain't exactly husband material, and if ya didn't notice, it's the end of the fuckin' world. Ain't no weddings now." He shrugged and looked toward the kitchen, where Beth stood in the doorframe. She looked sad but smiled at him anyway.

"Do ya love her?" Rick whispered.

Daryl turned back to him and dipped his head down. "I'm gonna make sure she's taken care of. Ya ain't gotta worry about a damn thang, and I ain't gonna talk about this anymore."

Rick shook his head and sat back down. "Ya can take a truck. Ya know where the keys are."

"Ya gonna take my other ones?"

"You're important here. No one's gonna make a move against ya like that. Besides, ya know I ain't got nothin' to do with that anymore."

He nodded and walked toward Beth, where he stopped for just a second. He reached out and brushed her hand.

"Ya all right?"

She shrugged. "Been better."

"Ya need to sleep."

"Probably," she said and smiled.

He looked over at Merle and tilted his head to the side. He took the hint and moved toward the door to the yard to give them some privacy.

"If ya want, ya can bring your stuff up to my cell. Not the big shit, though. I'll do that."

"Are ya sure?" She was looking down at her feet, so Daryl tipped her chin up to look into her eyes.

"Yeah. I shoulda done this a long time ago." He took a few steps back and cleared his throat. "I'll be back as soon as I can. If not tonight, then probably tomorrow mornin'. I wanna get this all knocked out in one go so ya can start organizin' the shit how ya want it." He held out her list. "Anythin' else ya can think of? Anythin' at all?"

She looked over things for a few seconds before she asked softly, "Ya know those little plastic drawers that ya can put clothes in?"

"Yeah?"

"If it's not too much trouble, ya think ya can get one of 'em for the clothes? I kinda wanna have a nice place to put them so they don't get as dirty so fast."

He reached out and hugged her to him before he could really stop himself. He didn't like her sounding so unsure and sad, and since he was part of the cause, he felt even worse. "It ain't no trouble at all, songbird. Whatever the fuck ya want, I'll get it. Ya want some chocolate, too?"

She laughed through silent tears and shook her head. "I ain't gonna turn ya down, but ya don't gotta go searchin' for it."

He stepped back and pushed the hair off her face. "Things are gonna be fine."

"I'm not so sure," she whispered.

"He'll get over things with ya. He's gonna hate my ass for the rest of his life, but he can't stay upset with you. No one can."

"Let's go. Don't wanna get too late a start," Merle called loudly.

Daryl dropped his hand from her cheek and took a few steps back. He saw Maggie coming at him from the stairs and said, "See ya after while."

He didn't stop when Maggie called his name, and he heard Beth distract her for the few seconds he needed to slip outside and head to the truck.

Carl opened the gate and let them out, and he managed to flip off Daryl as he passed. Yeah, he should have expected that. That crush he had on Beth probably crashed and burned for good this morning.

"You're everybody's favorite person, ain't ya?" Merle snorted and took out a smoke from his pocket.

Daryl nodded and drove down the long driveway toward the highway. "Give me one of those?" He held out his hand and Merle placed a lit one between his fingers.

"Ya gonna have to kick that habit. I don't think princess is gonna let ya get around the baby smellin' like an ashtray."

"Shit," he grumbled as he took a drag.

Merle laughed as he reached down under the seat and pulled out the baseball bat he'd stashed there, then he rolled down the window to let himself hang out a little. Daryl wasn't sure how he was going to manage with only one hand on the bat, but naturally, he edged closer to the walker that ambled along the side of the road. They'd find out real quick how Merle could hit with one hand if he ended up rolling out the window.

"Home run!" Merle yelled as he crushed the walker's skull in with the bat and stayed inside the truck.

Daryl flicked the cigarette out his own window and shook his head as Merle settled back into his seat. He looked over at Daryl and smirked when he saw his smoke was gone.

"Awww, baby brother." He reached over and ruffled his hair. "Ain't ya so damn sweet?"

"Yeah. Fuck off."

He couldn't sit around and smoke with a baby, and he sure as hell wasn't going to be taking the kid to play mailbox baseball with Uncle Merle and using walkers' skulls as targets.

Daryl laughed out loud at that image, and Merle looked at him like he was crazy.

"Nothin', man. Just losin' my damn mind is all."

* * *

"_Did you and your brother get along well?"_

_She__'d__ only been in his cell a few minutes before she launched into a slew of questions. It helped that she was sitting on his lap, so he just shrugged and tugged on the hem of her shirt. _

"_Nope," she said__,__ swatt__ing__ his hand. "Ya gotta talk to me first."_

"_Why?"_

"'_Cause, we both know that we're more than just foolin' around." _

"_You're usually right," he said quietly and kissed__ from__ her shoulder to her neck. She turned her head to the side, and he managed to get her mind off talking pretty fast. _

_After, she picked up her shirt and smiled at him. "Well, what about your brother?"_

_He laughed__, shaking__ his head. "Ya don't ever give up, do ya?"_

"_Naw. I'm very persistent."_

_Daryl pulled her down to lay next to him. "He was older than me. I got along with him well enough. He moved out when I was still a kid__,__ and then when I got away from our old man, I just followed him."_

"_Hmmm." She snuggled against him. "I wish I could meet him."_

"_I'm not so sure you should. He ain't good with your type of sweet."_

"_What?"_

"_Ya know__— __sweet, innocent, looks like she tastes like pure fuckin' sugar." He threaded his fingers into her hair and kissed her hard. Even so soon after they'd finished, he just wanted her again. He pulled back a little. "He's scared of girls like _you_."_

"_Are _you_?" __s__he asked, leaning toward him. _

"_Fuckin' terrified." His words were a whisper against her lips and when she shivered, he knew he was going to keep her there a lot longer than was safe. _

* * *

It took them an hour to reach a town big enough to hold everything he needed for her. Merle had passed out in the passenger seat a few minutes after finishing his cigarette, and Daryl spent the quiet minutes thinking about other things he could get for her.

Instead of taking her curtains from her old cell, he was going get her new ones, pretty ones. He wanted to get a few rugs, too, to cover the floor so it wouldn't be so cold when she walked over it barefoot, and so the baby could crawl around on it when he got older.

It was going to take a hell of a lot of pleading, but he was going to try and get a mattress and some nice sheets, too. Merle was going to rag his ass for the rest of his days if he helped with it, but it would be worth it.

He looked into the back of the truck and shook his head. It would be a tight fit, and he hoped they had the room. Then they had to get back in the middle of the night and haul all that shit into B Block and up the stairs to the corner cell so Beth wouldn't see it before he was done. He might be able to talk Merle into bringing up a couple of bags on his way to bed if he was lucky and Merle caught a nap on the way back to the prison.

Daryl pulled into the strip mall parking lot, took out the list, added the things he wanted to it, and then kicking Merle's leg. "Wake your ass up. We got shit to do."

A few minutes of grumbling later, they stood in front of the truck, looking at the storefront they were about to enter. Daryl was nervously chewing on his fingernail, and Merle looked less than thrilled.

"Can ya explain to me why the fuck we're goin' into Rent-A-Center?"

"Beth needs a bed."

Merle yanked the paper out of his shirt pocket then groaned, "You're such a fuckin' pussy," when he saw it was written in Daryl's chicken scratch.

Daryl grabbed it, put it in his back pocket, and started for the door. "How many people could've died in this store? It'll be fine."

Turns out, six people were or used to be alive in the Rent-A-Center, and Merle bitched him out the entire time they were killing the bastards.

Finally, they made it to the stock room. Merle picked up a twin mattress and started dragging it to the door.

"What're ya doin'?" Daryl stepped in front of him, blocking his path.

"Ya said Beth needed a bed. She's a little thang. A twin'll work."

Daryl scrubbed his hand over his face and sighed. "Ya know I'm stayin' with her."

"Well then, Darla, which size do ya want?" He waved a hand to the wall of stacked mattresses.

"Help me with the queen."

They dragged the mattress out to the truck and slid it into the bed. Merle hadn't said anything else so far, but when Daryl grabbed some garbage sacks out of the back and started walking down the strip a ways to the next store, he said, "You're fuckin' with me, right? We spendin' today gettin' your bitch shit, or we gonna get stuff for your bastard?"

Daryl turned, slammed him into the glass of the maternity store, and held his knife against his throat. "I'll fuck ya up if ya say somethin' like that again."

"I'd like to see ya try, pussy." He took his knife hand and angled it into Daryl's side.

They stared at each other for a few beats and then Daryl backed away. "Ya ain't gotta get anythin' in here. I'm doin' this for her 'cause she needs things just as much as the kid. Besides, we need to go someplace bigger for all the baby stuff, and that's gonna our last stop."

"Whatever," Merle said and started for the door. He pulled the handle, but it was locked, so he punched through the glass with his knife hand. Daryl knew it was safe since nothing had come forward after all the noise they'd just made against the glass.

"Go crazy, baby brother," Merle said, and with a sweeping gesture he opened the door.

He was so out of his element as he walked around the store and tried to pick out things he thought she'd like. Merle took care of two walkers that were wandering around the back as he went from rack to rack, picking up shirts. He threw them in the bag if he thought she'd wear them and found a couple of pairs of jeans with a stretchy waistband.

He was feeling a little bit better about getting her things until he walked to the back of the store and saw all the nightgowns and bras.

"Awww, he's lookin' for his first bra," Merle joked as he walked past toward a chair in the dressing room.

He wasn't sure what size she wore, so he held his hands up to the cups to try and get an idea. He didn't figure that was an accurate way of figuring out bra sizes, so he just took two Bs and two Cs and hoped for the best. There wasn't any fucking way she was bigger than a C. They weren't like normal bras either—these had clips on the shoulder and the material pulled down to uncover her tit, but if it was in a pregnant woman store, he guessed they had a reason for it.

Next, he walked over to the nightclothes and grabbed some sweat pants and then a silky nightie, hoping that maybe she'd see it and want to wear it for him.

He still had a lot of apologizing to do, but he'd prove to her that things were going to get better for them, and this was his first step. The other things would be harder. Like talking to Maggie and being respectful to Hershel. Probably the hardest would be to show her the attention she craved when they were around the others. Beth didn't expect him to push her up against a wall and make out with her in front of everyone when he got back from a run. She wanted the easy stuff, and if he got the guts to talk to her daddy, he could fuckin' hold her hand if it made her happy.

He looked down at the bag of clothes and sighed. That's all he really fucking wanted to do in the end. Just make her happy and not regret coming to him to begin with.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

Thanks again to Jen for editing this chapter and for everyone still reading and reviewing!

* * *

After embarrassing himself beyond belief at the pregnant women's store, they moved on to a store that specialized in bedroom and bathroom stuff. And after a few minutes of arguing over what they could use to hang up the new curtains, Merle knocked all the stuff from Daryl's hands and motioned him over to the bath section.

"Use fuckin' shower curtains. They got the holes in 'em, and ya can hang those bastards on the bars of thecell."

He looked over at Merle. "That's a decent idea."

"Yeah, well, think smart not hard, Darla."

In the end, he got a few of those that would stretch along the bars, a couple of sets of sheets and a nice comforter, and a few small rugs. He also found a really soft blanket and figured the baby would need something like that, so he tossed it in the bag, too.

True to his word, Merle didn't carry shit. He kept an eye out for walkers and took care of the stragglers while Daryl went about clearing out the list. They had a garbage bag from there, and then he put the rolled-up rugs on top of the mattress.

"We got to get some baby stuff, but I really think it will all fit," he said as they drove down the main road in town.

"I don't think it's gonna be as simple as ya think. Those big stores are crawlin' with walkers."

Daryl just nodded and scanned the sides of the street. They approached a mall that surely held tons of baby clothes but passed that fucking death trap. A little further down the road, he pulled into a parking lot, and Merle laughed out loud, slapping his hand on the dash.

It was a Toys "R" Us, and a small section of letters on one side of the entrance read Babies "R" Us.

"I hate your ass so fuckin' much right now," Daryl said, hopping out of the truck and taking a shitload of garbage bags with him.

The inside was surprisingly quiet. He figured there would be at least a few walkers, but as they went into the clothing section, Merle motioned over to the back wall that led into the stock area. There were chains wrapped around handles of the doors.

"Betcha money if we get close to that, they'll go crazy," he whispered.

"Let's just try and be quiet then."

He stared at the clothes before turning to Merle. "How do I even know what to get? We ain't even gonna know what she's having until it pops out."

Merle shrugged. "Get a little of both. Ain't gonna hurt your kid if he wears a girl shirt. Damn, he's got bigger shit to worry about than that."

"Guess you're right." He went around to all the different racks, grabbing girl clothes, boy clothes, and clothes that looked to be made for either one. He got different sizes and socks and little shoes.

He even threw some clothes in another bag for Judith. Might as well since they were out anyway. Merle took those sacks out to the truck and moved it closer to the door, and they went to the cribs.

He got two pack-n-plays—so she could keep one downstairs and one in their cell—and a few more blankets. They tried to get all the diapers and wipes and made several trips back to the truck with those.

They only had a little room left and Daryl stared down at the list and huffed out a breath.

"Why thefuck would she ask for formula? Ain't that what her tits are for?" he asked quietly, and Merle sighed heavily as he started dumping formula into a bag.

"You're so damn slow."

"What?"

Merle stopped and looked over at him, his face serious and sort of sad. "Why does Judith need formula?"

"'Cause her momma's–" Daryl stopped and his fists clenched, crumpling the list. "Why would she ask for that? She thinks she's gonna die?"

"She's smart and preparin' for thepossibility," Merle said, tying up one bag and opening another.

Daryl watched as he gathered more formula and some bottles before hauling both sacks to the truck.

"That everythin'?" he asked when he came back.

Daryl looked over the list before pointing to two plastic rolling drawers. "Get her those, will ya?" Merle huffed but did as he was asked, and Daryl walked around the different areas on the store.

He took a little baby seat that said bouncer on the box off the shelf, something that looked like a sling but the picture had a baby in it, a baby hat, a stuffed giraffe, and some batteries. As he walked out the door with Merle trailing behind him, he grabbed two chocolate bars.

Daryl was on autopilot and his mind was racing as they got inside the truck. He was glad it was getting dark, and when he turned out on the main road to go back to the prison, he turned on his headlights. He took the drive as slow as he could to keep the stuff from flying out the back but also so they'd get back after everyone had gone to bed.

Merle went to sleep a few minutes into the drive, and Daryl gripped the steering wheel hard, imagining what would happen if Beth died like Lori had.

What the fuck would he do with a baby? He couldn't take care of it without her. The others wouldn't let him. Maggie and Hershel would take the baby, and he'd get to see it, but not how he would with Beth.

If she died, he didn't know what he'd do.

If she died, it would all be his fault.

* * *

The clock on the dash said it was almost midnight when he pulled up the driveway to the gate. His headlights scanned over the yard, and there were a few more walkers than normal, but Glenn was able to open and close the gate without any issues.

When he parked the car next to the door for B Block, Merle woke up and got out of the truck. As he walked off, Daryl called out his name. "Can ya help me with just a little? Maybe themattress?"

He watched as his brother looked back and forth between the truck and where his bed was and sighed. "I'll carry a few bags up, but that's all."

Daryl nodded and started grabbing garbage bags. Merle actually carried a lot more than he figured he would, and he was glad for that. When he put the sacks inside the cell door, Merle dropped his stuff and continued on through the door that led to C Block.

"Night," he said and shut the door behind him.

Daryl looked around the empty space and rolled his neck. He was fucking tired and just wanted to forget about the rest of the bags and rugs and mattress, but he couldn't. In the morning, he'd show Beth and she'd be so damn happy and excited, so he walked down the stairs and began making the rest of the trips inside.

Three more trips for the bags and rugs, and then one long-ass, starting-and-stopping trip with that fucking mattress, and he was cursing up a storm. By the time he locked the outside B Block door, he felt like he was going to burst out of his skin. That feeling turned into him wanting to kill someone as he unpacked the shower curtains and tried to hang them up. That took a fucking hour, he was sure, because they didn't hang how he thought they should at first.

Finally, he laid the rugs and moved the mattress inside. Daryl figured that the bunks on the wall weren't a big fucking deal anymore and placed the mattress touching the bottom bunk. She could put shit she needed to grab on it. It was a shelf now, he reasoned with himself. When that was settled, he tore open the sheets and put them on the bed, not giving a shit that they were stiff, and then tossed the comforter on top.

He put the plastic drawers to the side and set up one of the babyjails on the side of the bed near the wall.

"She can handle therest," he muttered and threw the trash over the railing. He'd burn it later.

He left B Block and walked down the row of cells to his old one. Beth lay curled up on his bed, and he smiled, feeling the tension leave his body. All the shit he'd done that day was worth it.

When he got into bed behind her, Beth shifted into him. "Things go all right?" she asked quietly but didn't roll over.

"About as good as can be expected."

"Hmmm." She wiggled back into him further, and he wrapped his arm around her and laid his hand on her stomach.

Beth linked their fingers and moved his hand up toward her chest, but he stopped her. "Whatcha think you're doin'?"

"I just really missed ya touchin' me," she said in a breathy voice that made him pretty much stand at attention.

"We shouldn't do this right now. I mean, don't wanna give 'em another reason to be pissed, right?"

She laughed and tugged his hand up between her tits. "What are ya gonna do, Daryl? Knock me up?" He swallowed hard, and she released his hand.

"Are ya sure? We ain't even really sorted shit out yet." His voice shook a little, but he didn't move his hand away.

"We're gonna be fine," she whispered. "Just be with me? Please?"

God, when she said that word, it killed him. What had he done to get her to beg him for anything? Especially something like this? Any tiredness he'd been feeling disappeared, and he kissed her shoulder. "Roll over."

She turned on her back and looked up at him, smiling smugly. She always got what she wanted, and she knew it. Everyone else thought he was some hard ass, and maybe he was when it came to them, but he didn't even pretend to not be at her beck and call.

He kissed her softly, leaning over her as he slid his hand under her shirt. When he reached her tits, she arched up and groaned against his mouth.

"Am I goin' crazy or are these bigger than before?" he asked stupidly as he rolled her nipple between his fingers. She cried out, and he pulled his hand back. "I hurt ya?"

Beth shook her head and reached out to bring him back down to her. "No, just really sensitive and yeah, they got bigger. I'm sure they'll get even bigger after thebaby's here."

"Huh." He brushed his hand over them above her shirt. "Nice."

"Ya say that, but ya haven't outgrown all your damn bras."

He smirked and started moving down her body. He skipped her stomach—not because he was afraid of it; it just seemed weird kissing on it with what he was about to do. Daryl pulled the sides of her shorts, and she raised her hips, letting him drag them down.

"Yes, please," she whispered and grabbed his shoulders.

"You're fuckin' horny, aren't ya?" He laughed quietly as she blushed.

"Ya have no idea. It's been months."

"Bullshit. I know ya play with yaself," he mummered as he kissed up her thigh, spreading her legs apart.

"Yeah, well, my fingers aren't yours or your tongue or your dick, are they? It doesn't feel the same."

"You're talkin' like a sailor, girl."

She was about to smart off when he leaned down and licked the length of her pussy.

He fucking loved doing this to her, and when she tangled her fingers in his hair and lifted her hips, he groaned against her. Just the way she acted while he did it was enough to make him want to stay down there as much as possible. He'd kill to hear that soft moan of hers when he licked her just right.

He reached down and adjusted his dick, stroking through his jeans a couple of times. It had been too damn long since he'd had her taste on his tongue. Too fucking long.

Daryl knew what she liked, and as she kept twisting his hair and riding his mouth, he knew she didn't want to be teased. She needed this from him, and she needed it now. He alternated between long, soft licks and flicking her clit to build her up, and when she got going good, he started fucking her with his tongue, rubbing his thumb in circles over her. When her legs started to shake, he licked up and sucked on her clit, pushing his fingers inside and curling them up on every stroke.

He looked up at her and caught her stare. She was flushed and panting. Then her eyes rolled back and she pulled his hair.

"Oh God," she groaned softly. "Mmmm, Daryl, so good." She clenched down in his fingers, wetting him even more than before.

He brought her down with gentle strokes, and when he pulled his fingers away from her pussy, she sighed and looked at him with a grin.

He smirked back before sucking each finger into his mouth to clean them off. "You're fuckin' sweet," he said before he kissed her.

She reached down and started to undo his jeans, and for split-second he thought about stopping her and saying no, but that good behavior shit exited just as quickly as it came. Daryl sat back, unbuttoned his shirt, and tossed it off to the side.

"You're the definition of sin, ya know that?" she asked as she sat up on her knees and pushed down his jeans. She took him in her hand, squeezing lightly and stroking him.

"Damn, woman," he sighed and kissed her before moving off the bed and getting rid of his pants completely.

He reached for her shirt to pull it over her head, but she stopped him. "I look fat."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Lose the fuckin' shirt. I ain't seen your titties in months and now they're all big and I'ma enjoy it." She rested her hands on her belly and bit her lip. "I don't give a shit. You're expectin', girl."

Beth closed her eyes as she tugged the shirt over her head. She'd rounded out, that was for sure, but she was fucking gorgeous. Daryl leaned over her, forcing her to her back.

"Can I suck on 'em?"

She nodded and said, "Just not as hard as ya used to."

Daryl tongued her nipples, sucking softly on one while he brushed his fingers over the other. Then he switched sides and settled between her thighs. All the while, she made those soft sounds that went straight to his dick. But as he tried to push into her, he realized he couldn't lie on top of her like he used to. Hell, he usually covered her when they fucked. As much skin as he could touch, he did.

This time, Daryl rolled over on his back beside her and pulled her to straddle him.

"Not like this." She shook her head and pushed against his chest. He sat up, placing his back against the cold wall and slouching down on the cot.

"C'mon, baby," he whispered and lifted her. "It'll feel so fuckin' good, and ya come hardest like this."

"What if I jiggle?" She cupped her tits and furrowed her brow.

"I hope to God ya do." He smirked and tilted his head just a little. She laughed, and he knew she was going to give in. Just like he couldn't say no to her, she fucking melted when he gave her that stupid half-grin.

Without much warning, she sank down on him, causing him to tense from the sudden warmth. "That feels so fuckin' good, Beth." He leaned his head against the wall, letting her take the lead, and watched the place where he slipped inside her. "Look at that," he muttered and then moaned as she twisted her hips. It took her a minute to find a good rhythm, probably because she was so self-conscious, but she didn't have a damn reason to be.

Her hands went to his shoulders, and her tits did start jiggling, so she slowed down. He moved his hands from her hips to palm them together. "I got this," he said against her nipples before he took them in his mouth. That knocked her into gear again, and she went back to riding his dick.

After a few minutes, she stopped caring about her body moving around because she was so damn close to coming, so he put his hands back on her hips and thrust up against her harder, grinding her down him each time he bottomed out.

He leaned as close as he could and whispered into her ear. "Look at ya, girl. Ya fuckin' wild for me, ain't ya? Needed me? Ya miss me fuckin' ya?"

"Yes," she panted against his chest.

"Tell me, then, and I'll go harder."

"I missed this," she keened low in his ear. "I need ya."

"That's fuckin' right." He thrust up hard. "Ya need _me._ Ain't no one else givin' ya what I can." Beth shook her head and dug her nails into his neck. "Tell me that you're mine." His voice came out as a harsh pant against her cheek, and he reached down and pressed his thumb to her clit. "Tell me or I'll stop."

"I'm yours." Her breath caught and she threw her head back, gasping as she came. Watching her fucked up his flow, and after a few uneven strokes and watching the girls bouncing around, he came hard, squeezing her hips so tightly he knew she'd bruise.

"Damn," he groaned quietly as she moved off him. Beth lay on the pillow breathing hard, and he touched her stomach then. "Should we have done that? It's safe, right?"

"It's fine, Daryl."

"My dick won't poke its eye out, right?" He tried so hard to keep a straight face, but when she looked over at him like he was crazy, he busted out laughing—probably a little too loudly—and lay down beside her.

Daryl sighed and pulled up the covers. "Ain't ya gonna get dressed?" she asked him, throwing a leg over his.

"Ehhh, fuck it. I'm dog-tired. If ya get up before me, make sure I'm all covered, yeah?"

"Yeah, babe." Beth yawned and closed her eyes.

He was almost asleep when she said, "I'm yours? Like where we won't hide this anymore, and not just because ya came back and found me like this, but because ya really wanna be with me?"

Daryl was too tired to pretend, so he kissed her hair and said, "I've always wanted to be with ya. I's just scared is all."

She hugged him and sighed sweetly against his chest. A few minutes later, she was out. He wasn't far behind her despite having just laid himself out like that, but it was Beth. He trusted her. One thing was for certain, sleeping was a whole lot better with her wrapped around him.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

Thank you so much Jen for editing this and to everyone who is reading and reviewing!

Happy premiere day! I'm counting down the hours!

* * *

The next morning, he woke up grouchy because Beth had gotten up before him and left him alone. He wanted to wake up with her for once. Daryl sighed and pulled the covers higher on his shoulders, grateful that she'd at least tucked him in like she promised she would.

"Good. You're up." The voice was like nails on a fucking chalkboard, and he cringed into his pillow. When he didn't answer or move, the owner of the voice kicked the side of his bunk and tried to yank his blanket.

"Ya need to back the fuck off, Maggie," he said angrily, rolling to face her.

She shot him a disgusted look and took a step back. "So, ya sleep naked? Didn't peg ya for bein' one of those guys."

"Don't usually," he grunted and sat up. "Get out and let me get dressed if ya wanna talk."

She shook her head and sat in his chair. "Oh, no. I got ya trapped. We're gonna sit here like this and have a 'come to Jesus' about how ya been treatin' my sister, Daryl Dixon. You're a grown man. What were ya thinkin' hookin' up with her when there are women your own age around?" He pressed his palms into his eyes and groaned, but she just kept going. "Then ya leave her to follow around that shitty excuse of a brother ya've got?"

"Dammit, Maggie. I ain't in the mood for this. I spent all day yesterday and into last night gatherin' up shit then haulin' it in."

"Ya obviously had time to fuck around with Beth," she said loudly.

"Lord, help me with this bitch," he muttered.

"'Bitch'? Did ya just call me a _bitch_?" She stood up and stalked toward him. "You're a sorry piece of shit."

"Ya ain't tellin' me nothin' I ain't already heard, sweetheart," He wrapped the sheet around his waist and shuffled sideways to get his shirt. He pulled it on quickly and walked over to his jeans. "I suggest ya turn you're ass around, or I just might offend your delicate sensibilities when I drop this sheet."

"Pig," she muttered and turned.

Daryl pulled up his jeans fast and then grabbed his boots. Maggie turned back to him and began her interrogation again. "Are you gonna stick with her?"

"What the fuck do ya think?"

"I mean, are ya doin' it so ya don't catch more hell or 'cause ya love her?"

Daryl sighed and shook his head. "Ya listen here. Me and Beth ain't your concern. We know where we're at and what this means. I don't gotta go explainin' myself to you."

"She's my sister."

"Still don't mean ya get a free pass to be nosy as hell."

"Ya better not fuck this up again, Dixon. Daddy's lookin' for a reason to kick your ass to the curb."

That got his feathers ruffled, and he turned to Maggie, blocking her move to the exit. "Ya tell Hershel that if I go, so does she. Does that help ya see where things lie with us?"

Maggie's eyes widened for a second, but she covered her surprise and sidestepped him, leaving him alone.

"Today's startin' pretty fuckin' good."

* * *

He found Beth in the kitchen with Judith, trying to feed her some oatmeal, but she wasn't having much luck because most of it covered the baby's bib. He'd been standing there a couple of minutes before she looked over and saw him. She gave him that blinding, straight-to-his-heart smile and asked, "Sleep good?"

"Best sleep in a while."

"Ya needed it," she said and looked back at Judith.

He hesitated for a second before he said, "Your sister paid me a visit."

"I'm sorry," she whispered. "She's just protective, that's all."

"I know. I can't fault her for that. Shit's gonna get old fast if they keeping actin' like I'm some fuckin' pervert, though."

"You're not a pervert, Daryl." Then she smirked and blushed. "Maybe a little."

That made him laugh and helped some of his bad mood disappear. "I could say the same thang to you."

Beth shrugged. "Ya haven't complained yet."

He settled into the chair next to her and leaned his head against her shoulder, closing his eyes. "Wish ya woulda stayed with me until I woke up." She tensed for a second, and when she remained quiet, he asked, "What's wrong?

"I can't count how many times I've said that to ya."

The air around them turned heavy, or maybe it was just that his chest felt like something was crushing him. He wasn't sure what to say or how to explain that things would be different now, so he just said, "I'm sorry."

She smiled at him, but it wasn't like before, and that made his chest hurt more. Daryl leaned back against her shoulder and closed his eyes again, settling into the awkward silence.

"Put your hand on my stomach," she said suddenly after a couple of minutes.

He reached over and laid it on her belly button, and she moved it further down and to the right. He kept his hand in place with hers laying softly over it while she went back to feeding Judith and humming.

Beth was halfway through a song he knew when he felt a tap against his palm. He sucked in a breath and didn't move. A few seconds later, he felt it again.

"Did ya feel him?" she asked, pressing his hand down a little harder and earning another kick.

"Yeah," he whispered, opening his eyes and staring at her. "Does it feel weird?"

"Yeah, sorta. It was strange at first but now I love it. It let's me know she's okay."

"Ya keep changin' between _he_ and _she_."

"I don't like callin' the baby an _it_."

He nodded and asked, "Which would ya like to have?"

"Oh, I don't care. I just want him or her to be healthy and safe."

That mention of safety threw him back to the day before and picking up formula for her. He chewed on his lip and then said, "I got your stuff yesterday and all the formula."

"Great! Thank you!" She leaned in and kissed his cheek, completely unaware of the thoughts warring in his head.

"Do ya think you're gonna die?" He swallowed against the lump in his throat and turned his face into her neck, inhaling the soft scent of her hair.

"I hope not, but I wanna have the things ya need just in case. That way, the baby will have food and no one will have to make special trips to stock up.

"Plus, I was worried about the baby not nursin' right or me not bein' able to feed her like I should, you know? I just want to make sure she's taken care of no matter what happens."

"Ya think they'd let me keep the kid if you were gone?" he asked, completely stunned at how she'd worded her first reasons.

She touched his cheek. "Daryl, no one can take her from you if you didn't want them to."

He hummed against her skin, but didn't move or say anything else. The whole conversation just made him sad.

Beth patted his leg and stood, carrying Judith on her hip while she took her bowl to the sink.

"It's my day for her, but I'd really like to see what clothes ya got the baby." This time her smile was genuine and excited.

"Let's go, then." He took her hand, and she flushed and little as they walked out into the main area where everyone usually ate.

Their group was scattered around like normal, and all of them froze and watched them. When they got to the steps, he took Judith and placed a hand on her lower back, guiding her up the stairs.

"I can walk, ya know?" She smirked when they reached the top of the stairs.

"I like touchin' ya," he whispered and nodded his head down the row of cells to the B Block door. He felt everyone's eyes on them until he shut the door behind them. He was never happier about choosing B Block than at that moment.

"What did you do?" She stared at the back of the curtains that covered the entirety of the cell.

"I hope ya like it," he said, pulling back the material in front of the opening, and she gasped, covering her mouth with her hands.

"Oh my God." She walked forward slowly until she reached the edge of the bed. Her fingers slid over the pale purple comforter, and she looked at him with tears in her eyes.

He turned to Judith, who was tugging on his hair. "She's gonna cry after I did all this?"

"These are overwhelmed tears, Daryl," she said quietly and went to the pack 'n play and the drawers.

"I'ma get a couple of kerosene lamps to put around the room. The curtains let in enough light durin' the day, but it's dark as hell at night." Beth nodded and followed him over to the stack of garbage sacks in the back corner. "These are the diapers and wipes. These are the formula. These are baby clothes. One for ours, and the bigger stuff for Judith. I got ya a second crib thang to go downstairs so ya can lay her down close to ya when you're workin'." He cleared his throat and picked up another bag before handing it to her. "These are for you."

She opened it up and stared down into the bag for several seconds before she threw her arms around him and kissed all over his face. "You're so sweet, and ya absolutely hate for me to call ya that, but ya are. I can't say thank you enough."

"Ya don't gotta say thank you. It's my job to take care of ya."

"Well, I should thank Merle, then. He helped, and it's certainly not his job." She raised an eyebrow and smirked.

"Ya should never thank his ass for anythin'. He pitched a fuckin' fit when I started goin' in that store." He handed over Judith and took a few steps back. "I'm gonna go see when I'm on watch again. I'll leave the door opened up to C. The rest of this block is secure."

"Okay." She covered the distance between them and kissed him tenderly. "Maybe later we can bring up our stuff? You and me can stay here tonight. In the _real _bed." She touched her lower back with one hand. "That's gonna feel so nice."

"I'll get it all taken care of, songbird."

* * *

He walked down the stairs a couple of minutes later and looked around for Michonne, but couldn't find her, so he turned to Glenn.

"Ya know when I'm on watch next?"

Glenn looked at Maggie out of the corner of his eye before saying, "Think ya got perimeter check this mornin', but I don't know when you're in the tower next." He sighed. "Ya kinda need to talk to Hershel about that."

"Fuckin' great," he mumbled and slowly walked to where Hershel sat.

"Hershel?"

"Ya can call me Mr. Greene. If ya don't like that, Dr. Greene is fine, too." He didn't look up from his food as he spoke.

Daryl sighed heavily and clenched his fists at sides. He wasn't going bow down to no one. Even Beth's father. "When am I on the tower next?"

Hershel sighed heavily and said, "Come with me."

"Ya ain't gonna beat the shit outta me, are ya?"

"I'd like to, but no." He smirked and limped on toward his cell.

Once inside the cell, he closed the curtain and sat on the lower bunk. "I'm gonna set aside our differences when it comes to things involvin' the group. Ya know Rick has stepped down from things. He's been handlin' the garden and pigs and leavin' a lot of the internal decision makin' to the Council. I figured when ya realized the situation ya'd take things into your own hands with our defenses, but I can see now that your mind was elsewhere the last few days.

"Before ya say anythin' smart to me, boy, listen. Everyone respects ya no matter what has happened recently. You're smart, and ya can survive. The Woodbury residents think you're some kinda devil and wouldn't dare cross ya."

"Maggie said you're lookin' to kick my ass outta here."

Hershel sighed again and shook his head. "Ya know I'm not. I might not be happy, but I'm not stupid, either. I just need time. It's strange to me. Maggie, she just talks because she's upset. I know how valuable ya are even if I can't stand to look at ya right now."

Daryl nodded. He chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment before he said, "I'm sorry that I broke your trust like that, Hershel."

He didn't acknowledge his apology; instead, he said, "Well, you're on the tower whenever ya want. Not many of the Woodbury people are that efficient with weapons, so just let Glenn and Maggie know and y'all can work out a schedule with Michonne and maybe Merle if he'll haul his lazy ass off that cot and stop snoring so damn loud. Oh, and there's Tyreese and Sasha over in D. They can handle themselves."

"So, you're tellin' me I gotta create a security schedule 'cause we don't have one?" His tone was horrified as he raked a hand through his hair and pulled.

"Yeah." Hershel shook his head.

"Fuck my life, man." He rubbed his jaw and looked away. "All right." Daryl turned to leave but then looked back at Hershel. "Beth's upstairs in B with Judith if ya need her. She's lookin' through the things we brought back last night."

Hershel nodded and motioned Daryl out of the cell.

He walked to Glenn and Maggie and took a seat across from them. "So, tell me. Who can we trust with a gun?"

"When it comes to you? Not me," Maggie snarked before sending him a sweet smile.

It was going to be a long fucking day.

* * *

Hours later, he dragged himself up the stairs to their new cell.

After Maggie lost the attitude, they created a schedule for watches over the next few days, and he'd gone around the fences twice, looking for holes or weaknesses. In that time, he took out about ten walkers that had pushed up against the fence. They were starting to get more active, and the fences wouldn't hold unless they reinforced them again.

He took the afternoon watch while Maggie and Glenn talked to the few Woodbury people they'd decided they could trust enough to put in the tower. He didn't want to talk to anyone, and as long as he kept them thinking he was some monster, he wouldn't. If it kept them in place, he'd be the bad guy. He was sure Andrea was making it known what kind of man he was anyway.

As he pushed aside the curtain, he heard Beth singing softly and figured she still had Judith with her. Sure enough, when he walked inside, Judith was sitting on the rug and playing with red plastic cups, smiling the whole time.

Beth had gotten in a lot of work that day, it seemed. The back two bunks were stacked with diapers and wipes. The side bunks were covered with formula—separated by brand. The plastic drawers were full of clothes, and she'd unpacked the bouncy seat and put it to the side of the back bunks. It was colorful and had animals all over it, and it looked like something Beth would have picked out.

He looked at her, and his smile widened. She was wearing new clothes, and her hair was down. She'd been watching him, too, as he took in her efforts.

"I got it all organized, huh?" She put her hands on her hips and looked around the cell.

The shirt she was wearing was tight, which made her bump look a lot bigger, and she was wearing those comfortable jeans tucked into her boots.

"It looks good," he said then nodded toward her stomach. "How far along do ya think ya are?"

Beth placed her hand on her stomach and shrugged. "Almost seven months? I don't really know."

"We ain't got much time left until he gets here." He walked across the cell and placed his hand on her belly. "Ya got any baby books? Ya know what to expect?"

"No, I've talked to Carol, though."

He scratched his jaw and thought for a moment. "Michonne's goin' out in a coupla days. I'll talk to her about lookin' around for somethin', okay?"

Beth placed her hand over his and smiled. "That'd be really nice. I'd like to have a better idea of what's comin'."

She went to hug him, but he stepped back. "Gotta clean up first." He waved his hand in front of his shirt, which was speckled with walker blood and dirt.

"Ya know there's a private bathroom across the way? It's in the officer's locker room."

"Yeah, I've seen it, but I forgot it was there."

She gave him a wink and picked up Judith. "The door locks, too."

He watched her walk out of the cell and head down to dinner, and he groaned. How anyone thought he could have said no to her was beyond him. Then he remembered they didn't know her like he did. Even her family. He was the only one who got to see her free like that.

Daryl showered quickly and changed clothes before going down to eat. When he started down the stairs, he was surprised to see the Woodbury residents occupying the tables, too. He caught Merle's eye and walked over to where he was leaning against the wall, eating.

"What the fuck is this shit?" Daryl whispered and nodded his head over to the full tables. Beth was sitting by Maggie and her dad, but there was an empty space beside her. This was going to be good.

Merle shrugged. "Maggie and Glenn went to get more people on watches, and then they decided we should all be more of a big group than two separate ones. I wasn't really listenin', but there was a lot of 'we're all in this together' bullshit."

"Ya think she'd get pissed if I didn't go sit by her?" Merle rolled his eyes and took a bite of his dinner. "I just don't like 'em all starin'. They all think I'm some murderer, anyway."

"Oh, no. Where would they get that idea? Are ya bein' profiled, baby brother?" Merle asked sarcastically and put a hand on his chest. "Next thang ya know, you're gonna tell me they don't think I can read."

"Asshole," Daryl muttered and went to get food, ignoring his brother's laugh as he walked away.

After he got his food, he walked stiffly over to where Beth sat and took the empty seat beside her. He didn't talk to anyone—not that his behavior was unusual—and he tried not to look around, but he could feel their eyes on his back. He hated that feeling.

When he was almost finished, Beth leaned her head on his shoulder and sighed. He looked down at her and gave her a quick grin before turning back to finish his meal. Daryl didn't want her to think he was ignoring her or anything, but he just wasn't comfortable out there with everyone. He was better when they were alone. He didn't have to worry about what she thought of him.

Daryl was so wrapped up in his own thoughts that Merle walked up beside him without him noticing. He smacked the back of his head, and Daryl reached his for his knife and pressed it into Merle's stomach. His brother just laughed, though, because he had his own blade under Daryl's chin.

The room quieted down, and Daryl turned away, putting up his knife.

"Huntin' tomorrow?" Merle asked, his voice sounding like their father's again.

"Yeah, man." Neither one of them had watch the following day, and they'd be back in time for him to check the fences.

"Don't make me come down there and get your ass outta bed, Darylina." He laughed and turned to leave.

"Your brother is a different kind of guy," Beth whispered and leaned against him again. He could feel Hershel's eyes on him and Maggie's too.

"He's a fuckin' asshole." Daryl muttered. "But he's my brother. Guess we're sorta cut from the same cloth."

"So ya think you're an asshole?" She nudged his shoulder.

"You tell me."

Beth shook her head. "Ya ain't to me. Ya can be surly, though."

Daryl smirked and looked out of the corner of his eye at her. "Surly? Look at ya, makin' _asshole_ sound nice, songbird."

She just rolled her eyes and started to stand up. "Where ya goin'?" He grabbed her hand and she sat back down.

"Dishes."

"Horseshit," he said, looking around the room for the first time. Maybe there weren't so many people paying attention to them as he thought. "Plenty of bitches in this room that ain't big pregnant that can handle that shit."

Beth pinched his side. "Don't say 'bitches.' "

"You said it," he muttered as his cheeks heated up. He knew damn good and well she didn't like him calling women that.

"Daryl called me a bitch this mornin'," Maggie offered, smiling the whole time.

Beth sighed and turned toward him.

"She shouldn't have come in there, lookin' to chew my ass first thang, then."

Hershel had been quiet all through dinner, but at that moment, he groaned. "I'm goin' to lay down and try and forget why y'all are bickerin' like this."

"That's gonna be hard to forget, Grandpa," Maggie said jokingly.

At that, Hershel looked around Beth at Daryl and narrowed his eyes. "Respect, Daryl. Ya gotta learn to give it even if ya don't want to." With that, he stood up, hobbled across the room to his cell, and shut the curtain behind him.

"Well, this was fun, but we gotta go to the tower," Maggie said and stood up with Glenn following behind her. That pussy just shrugged at Daryl and followed after his woman.

"I'm gonna check the fence one last time," he whispered and brushed Beth's hand before standing. "Ya go on up to bed, and I'll be there in a minute."

"I'll stop by your cell and get that lamp out and bring it to the new cell," she said quietly.

"That'll be good." He turned and went through the door to the yard, grabbing his bow from the stairs as he went.

As he walked around the yard, he thought maybe he was just being paranoid about everyone thinking badly of him because of Beth. No one seemed to really give a shit except her family, and they'd come around eventually. Even if they didn't, they wouldn't bitch too much in front of Beth.

With the fence secure, he went through the outside B Block door to avoid anyone else and straight to their cell. The lamp cast a soft glow over everything, and he watched Beth pull the covers back on the bed, taking in her sweatpants and baggy shirt.

He walked through the door and strode over to her with a single goal in mind. To get as close to her a possible.

"I'm glad you're here so soon. I didn't want to fall asleep without ya." She smiled up at him.

Daryl cupped her cheek and leaned down to kiss her softly while placing a hand against her belly. He was going to make a point of doing that a few times a day so she'd know he cared about the baby, too.

She felt warm to him, but he figured it must have been from all the walking around she'd just done, and the prison was pretty fucking hot as he was. He sighed and leaned back. "Promise me that y'all will be here in the mornin' if I get to sleep in," he whispered. "I'll wake ya up if Merle comes for me early."

"I will." Beth stood on her toes and kissed him this time. "Promise me that y'all do the same?

"Ya got my word. From now on."


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

Thank you, Jen, for editing this! You're awesome!

Thank you to everyone who is still reading and reviewing! I hope you like this chapter.

* * *

"Gotta go, girl," he whispered against her ear, and she snuggled deeper in to the covers. "Ya hear me?" he whispered a little louder.

"Yeah," she murmured. "Go huntin' and bring back some food." She squeezed his arm but didn't open her eyes. "I'ma sleep until Maggie comes to get me."

"You do that." He pushed the hair off her face and leaned closer to her. "Don't ya overwork yaself. There's plenty of people here that can help out."

She hummed but didn't say anything else.

"Getcha ass up, baby brother. We got shit to do." Merle muttered and kicked the curtain to their cell.

Daryl sighed, stood up, and grabbed his bow before heading out. Hershel was awake and sitting at a table reading when they walked down the stairs. He didn't say anything, just nodded in their direction and went back to his book.

"Things goin' well with the in-laws?" Merle asked as they walked across the yard.

Glenn opened the gate for them while Maggie smiled and flipped him off from the tower. "Oh yeah, we're gettin' along great."

Merle laughed and then they fell into a comfortable silence. At the tree line, he and Merle started looking for tracks and moved through the woods, keeping an eye on everything. They'd been walking for a while when Daryl stopped and caught Merle's eye. He nodded at the deer tracks on the ground and pointed to the right.

Merle nodded back and followed him as they moved alongside the tracks. A few minutes later, Merle tapped his shoulder with his knife hand and tilted his head to the left. Daryl knew this meant for them to split up and come around the sides of the deer. That way they could have a better shot at him.

They were still in each other's line of sight when they closed in on the doe. Merle nodded, his lips a thin line as he concentrated on their task, and Daryl raised him bow, taking aim.

The bolt struck just where he wanted it, right behind the doe's shoulder, and Merle hollered as it ran off. "Fuck yes! Deer steak tonight!"

"Don't gotta be so fuckin' loud!" Daryl called out. "C'mon, we gotta find it before walkers do."

The deer had run a little ways before falling over. It was still alive when they found it, so Merle kneeled down and used his knife hand to slice across its throat.

"Don't cut it too deep," Daryl warned. "We still gotta hang this bitch up and clean it."

"I ain't a fuckin' amateur, Darylina. I know how to kill a damn deer."

They found a sturdy limb and tied its legs together over it. When they had it lifted up on their shoulders, they started back to the prison.

"Ya think we should clean it out in the woods?" Merle asked. "That way we ain't gotta have walkers followin' the blood?"

"It'll be okay," Daryl said, looking around. "Always cleaned 'em up there anyway."

Merle shrugged and kept walking, leading the way. After a few seconds, he cleared his throat. "Just thought ya should know that some of those Woodbury boys have been talkin' about gettin' with Beth."

Daryl narrowed his eyes at his brother's back. He hated when Merle tried to get a rise out of him. "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Merle muttered quietly. "It ain't none of my damn business, and I don't really give a shit, but I just thought ya should know." Daryl actually laughed out loud and Merle turned back to him. "What?"

"Ya want me to believe that some boys are talkin' about fuckin' Beth?"

Merle's forehead creased in confusion. "Why the fuck would I lie about it?"

"'Cause ya like to see me run off half-cocked and make a fool of myself."

Merle blew out a breath before turning back around and starting to walk again. "I do like to see ya embarrass yaself, but they think she's tradin' sex for favors for the baby."

"What?" Daryl's voice was harsh, and he felt the skin on the back of his neck crawl. "How the fuck do ya know that?"

Merle shrugged. "I like knowin' what's goin' on around me. Too many people I don't know. I ain't sayin' ya go in there and start bustin' heads. Just do what I do. Listen. See if they're just fuckin' around or if they really think they can go up to your woman and get her to suck their dick for a pack of diapers."

Daryl clenched his jaw and kept quiet. He'd fuck someone up if what Merle said was true.

* * *

They got back to the prison around mid-afternoon and strung up the deer, cleaning and skinning it as quick as they could. He was aware of several people standing off to the side, watching them, but he didn't really look at them.

He prayed it was some of those boys that Merle had heard, but then he realized that none of them knew that Beth was his. Sure, he'd sat by her the night before and they'd stayed in the same cell, but the Woodbury people didn't know that. They stayed in D and none of them had ever even seen Beth and Daryl leave the cell at the same time.

He was getting close to kicking his own ass when he heard Beth's voice from behind him. Daryl turned and smiled at her, but her face paled and she raced back around the corner of the building. He jogged over to her and heard her vomiting before he saw her.

"Damn, girl, ya okay?" he asked quietly. He wanted to touch her, but his hands were a mess from the deer.

"Yeah, just can't stand the sight of meat and blood," she whispered, wiping off her mouth.

"Why don't ya go back inside? I'll be up in a little bit."

Beth nodded and took a deep, calming breath. "That might be for the best."

As he watched her go, he looked toward the fence and realized the people who had been watching him were just Carl and some of the kids from Woodbury. Figured—he was trying to be Rambo with his fucking hunting knife, and the bastards he was trying to scare weren't even around.

He shook his head and went back to help Merle cut up the deer and take it to Carol so she could see to fixing it.

A little while later, he saw Beth talking with Maggie in her old cell, but he didn't stop. He nodded in her direction then went upstairs and showered. He had watch from dinner until the middle of the night, so he wouldn't even get to see her later. Daryl went back downstairs to the dining area and saw a group of teenage boys hanging out at one table. Some might have been Maggie's age, but he wasn't paying too much attention. He'd bet money those were the tools Merle heard talking, and he'd keep a fucking eye on them.

* * *

He crawled into bed with Beth that evening and tried not to wake her up, but she sighed when he wrapped his arms around her.

"Everythin' okay outside?"

"Yeah, we're good," he answered quietly and ducked his head against her shoulder.

"Night," she whispered, holding his hand to her stomach before slipping back off to sleep.

He stayed awake a while after that.

Daryl wondered about what Merle had said and what that group of boys was thinking. He twisted Beth's hair around his finger and wondered how much longer he could go without making sure everyone knew where they stood.

Wasn't no one taking care of her but him, and if one of those boys came up to her, talking about doing some favors for her, he'd lose his shit.

He couldn't shake the feeling that something else was curling up his gut, either. He hated the thought of her with anyone else, but he wasn't sure what that meant. He had been her first, and she had chosen him, sought him out. She'd put herself on the line and gone for it, and now she was lying here with him and having his kid, but he couldn't put into words what he felt for her.

All the terms sounded so fucking worthless compared to space she took up in his life. She wasn't his girlfriend or wife. She'd never told him how she felt about him or anything like that.

Daryl sighed heavily.

He just didn't fucking know what to call her, but he knew one damn thing. Whatever she was to him was something she'd never be to someone else. He'd take that jump soon and be her last everything, too.

* * *

The next morning he and Beth went downstairs together. There were plenty of people there, and a few turned to look at them curiously as Beth sat down next to her father and Daryl went into the kitchen and came back with two bowls of food.

He caught the eye of one of the boys from Woodbury and smirked before sitting down.

"I'm helpin' with stuff out in the kitchen this mornin' since Carol's doin' story time with the kids," Beth told Hershel before eating some of her food. "Do ya need any help today, Daddy?"

"No, Bethy, I'm fine. I'm gonna head out to the garden soon. Rick said one of his pigs died, and I'm gonna look over the others."

Beth nodded and looked at Daryl. "Whatcha doin' today?"

"Check the fences, kill some walkers." He shrugged. "What I always do."

"Ya should have lunch with me," she whispered. "Carol mentioned that Tyreese found a grill and is gonna cook some of the deer on it later."

"I'll be there, then."

Beth smiled and leaned against him. "For me or the deer?"

He laughed, shaking his head. "Good food, good company. Sounds like somethin' I need to be at."

"Ya hate company," she whispered.

"Not yours," he answered back just as quietly.

Hershel cleared his throat and stood up. "I'll see y'all later."

"I think we make him uncomfortable," Beth said, stirring her food slowly. He watched her, a little concerned that she hadn't eaten much at all. "I wish we didn't."

"He'll get used to it. I guess it's kinda weird to see his little princess shacked up with redneck trash," he scoffed. "Gotta wish ya were with someone better."

Beth slipped her hand under the table and held his. "Ya ain't trash."

He shrugged and stood up. "I'ma get started, and I'll be back for lunch."

When he started going around the fence, Merle joined him. His knife was absent from his hand, but Daryl didn't ask why. He could tell just by the way Merle was fidgeting with the knife on his hip that he wanted to talk.

"Ya got somethin' to say?" Daryl asked when they were out of sight. Merle glanced over at him and shrugged. "Just say it. Ain't no reason to pussyfoot around it."

"Carol came to my cell a few days ago and said a few things to me." Merle cleared his throat. "She threatened to slit my throat if I fucked with ya."

Daryl snorted. "Got some balls, don't she?"

"I told her that I'd fuck the anger out of her if she wanted. Let 'er be in control of it, too."

"The fuck?" Daryl stopped and stared at him. "And you're still standin' here?"

Merle looked down and got quiet. "She's a good woman. Her husband was a piece of shit, and we both knew we were gonna take care of his ass before we robbed 'em."

"So ya like Carol?" Daryl asked, completely confused.

He shrugged. "She's nice. I like how she doesn't take shit."

"What do ya want me to say?" Daryl asked, really looking at his brother. He'd never been this talkative. Ever.

"Were ya ever with her? I just ask 'cause I'd hate to think I fucked someone that you did, too."

Daryl stared opened-mouthed for several seconds before he shook his head. "Naw, man. I ain't never been with her like that." He narrowed his eyes. "Ya serious right now?"

"Swear to God, man. I woke up and the bitch was strokin' my dick. I thought I was dreamin'."

"Don't call her a bitch." Daryl groaned. "Makes her sound like a fuckin' whore."

"I know she ain't. I'm just confused as shit. She left me right after. Didn't say a damn word to me."

"Fuck if I know, man." He cleared his throat. "Beth sorta did the same thang to me the first time we got together. I don't really know what to tell ya, but if ya want it? Let her in the next time she comes back. She knows what she's doin', and ya certainly ain't complainin'."

Merle chewed on his fingernail and nodded. "I guess so. Fuckin' women."

"Uh-huh," Daryl muttered and resumed walking the fence. Merle turned and went the other way, leaving him lost in his thoughts about how his life had been turned inside out over the last several months.

Lunchtime came quickly, and he was thankful for that. He'd been walking the fences and killing walkers while the smell of food drifted over the yard. It had been so long since he'd actually had something off a grill that he fought hard to keep himself at his job before heading to eat.

When he reached the place in the yard where the grill was seat up, he saw that someone had brought out tables and chairs from inside the prison and everyone was gathered around, eating and laughing.

It almost seemed like a normal barbecue if it wasn't for the walkers that had started to bunch up along the fence again directly behind them.

Daryl sighed and started to walk over and clear them out when Carol stepped in front of him and handed him a plate.

"Eat," she said. "Ya been doin' enough this mornin'. Let someone else have a turn."

He nodded and took the plate, moving closer to the grill where she was working.

"Things all right with ya?" he asked, thinking about Merle.

She narrowed her eyes at him, and he blushed and looked away. Carol shook her head. "I can't believe that man said somethin' to ya. How'd he mumble through that?"

"Just wanna make sure ya ain't lost your mind is all."

"Daryl, I'm well aware of what I'm doin'." Carol touched his arm, and he looked up again. "Things good with Beth?" He nodded, eating some more meat. "Good. She's crazy for ya, ya know that, right? And what ya did, gettin' her things when ya went out even though she didn't ask? She knows ya care, but she wants everyone to know ya care. Go over there and throw your arm around her shoulders or hold her hand."

"I'm workin' on it," he muttered. "She knows me."

Carol squeezed his arm. "I'm so happy for you. She's just what ya need."

"Yeah, wish I could say the same."

"Oh, Pookie, ya just don't see what you've done for her, but one day ya will."

Daryl shrugged and started to speak when a kid about Carl's age walked up, fidgeting a little.

"Mr. Dixon?"

"Yeah?"

"I just wanted to thank you for bringing that deer back yesterday. It was a real treat, sir. And I'd be honored to shake your hand."

Daryl licked the food from his fingers and took the kid's hand, giving it a firm shake before letting go. The boy walked away, smiling to himself, and Daryl just shook his head. That kind of treatment just made him feel odd. He was doing what he'd always done, but now, people went out of their way to say thanks.

"Remember, I liked ya first," Carol said jokingly and nudged his shoulder.

"Stop."

Carol laughed, but as she looked over at the walkers along the furthest fence, she sobered quickly. "Have ya noticed how the walkers aren't spreadin' out along the fence anymore?"

"I don't even know what's happenin' with 'em. The fence is secure, but I don't know for how long."

"We'll have to meet with the others and talk about what to do."

Daryl nodded and spotted Beth across the yard talking to a woman he hadn't met before, and off to their left was that group of boys from before. "I'ma head over there," he said and started walking, missing what Carol said as he left.

He came up behind the boys who weren't paying attention to anything around them. Daryl leaned against a pole and listened in on their conversation as he ate.

"I think you're insane," one boy said. "Ya don't know anythin' about that girl, and ya think she's just gonna hook up with ya 'cause ya promise her some baby stuff?"

Daryl looked over, and the boy who was the brains behind this plan shrugged. "I ain't sayin' she will, but it's worth a shot, ain't it? She's in a bind, and she probably needs help. Why should it be for free?"

"I don't know if she's in a bind. Her daddy's on the council, and I don't think he'd let her go without. Plus, ya seen Dixon hangin' out around her the last couple of days, and Samantha said she heard Beth tell one of those other women that he'd brought her some things."

"So what? He had the same idea as me, but he moved faster. I imagine that she's not really that picky if she hooked up with him for some shit, so I stand a pretty good chance."

The other boys at the table looked uncomfortable. "Ya really need to think about this, Cole," one boy said. "I ain't sure it's a good idea. And what if Dixon is actually with her? He's gonna kick your ass if ya try and mess around with her."

"I'm tellin' y'all... just 'cause he sits with her to eat doesn't mean shit."

Daryl didn't realized he'd set his plate down on the empty table beside him and unsnapped his knife until Merle put a hand on his and held it in place. They held each other's stare for a minute before Daryl nodded and snapped the hunting knife back up. He looked at his brother, who staring hard at the group of boys behind them. "Go see Beth. She's been lookin' around for ya," he muttered and turned away.

"Yeah," he said and cleared his throat.

He needed to cool down a bit anyway. Wouldn't do any good to beat the shit out of a kid. He'd have to corner him and make him see just how wrong he was, and if that included persuading him with violence, he wouldn't mind too much.

* * *

"There ya are," Beth said and smiled at him.

He took the seat beside her and noticed that the girl she'd been talking to before was gone. "Ya eat yet?"

"A little. I don't feel too great. I think I'm wearin' myself out," she whispered.

"Go lay down. I'll tell Carol you're sick. Ya don't need to put yourself out like that. It ain't good for you or the baby." He scanned her face and noticed for the first time how pale she looked, and he started to worry. Being sick wasn't easy anymore.

Beth leaned against his shoulder. "You're so good to me, Daryl."

The kid's voice talking shit about how she must not have been too picky flashed through his mind and made him cringe. He said a lot of shit, but that one hit him hard. "Don't know about that." He pointed to her stomach and said, "Seems like all I've done is make a bunch of mistakes since ya came to me."

Beth tried to cover the hurt look in her eyes, but he still saw it flicker through. "I don't think you're supposed to call the baby a mistake where she can hear ya," she said, attempting to make a joke. "Accident might be nicer."

He turned away from her and shook his head, trying to figure out how to make things right again. His skin felt too tight and he was ready to lash out. This whole day seemed to have been a giant clusterfuck of confusion and now she was sick? He was going to lose his mind.

"My head hurts. I think I'll go lie down for minute." Beth stood up, not waiting for his reply. He tried to grab her hand, but she pulled it away and smiled tightly at him. "Wouldn't want anyone to get any ideas," she muttered and walked off.

"Sonofabitch," he cursed and leaned his head against the table. He stayed that way for a couple of minutes before he stood up and walked toward the fence with his knife drawn.

Carol was standing beside the grill with Merle leaning against a pole not too far away, but not too close, either. Both were eyeing him questioningly, probably having seen Beth walk off.

For the next few minutes, he took out his frustration on the walkers trying to get inside their yard and tried to forget how he'd stuck his foot in his mouth.

When he glanced over to the group still sitting around eating, he noticed that the only table that still had people around it was the one with that group of assholes. Everyone else had gone inside or off to finish up their work for the day.

His hands were covered in blood, and he knew some of it had sprayed across his face. If this didn't put that kid in his place, he didn't know what would.

Daryl dragged a chair across the cement, causing all of them to look up as it scraped loudly. He straddled it, leaning one arm along the back and draping the hand holding the knife over it.

Merle chuckled off to the side and then Daryl heard a slap, but he didn't look over to see if Carol had made him shut up. Instead, he smirked at the boys and looked over each of their faces. They'd paled and were looking at each other.

Hell, yeah. They were scared of his ass. He felt a surge of power and pride and said, "Hello, boys. We're gonna have a little talk about respect."


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11

Thank you Jen for editing this! And thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing, or both. I'm so happy that you're enjoying the story.

Originally I wasn't going to write the convo between Daryl and the boys, but since there was such a huge response and desire to read what he said, I wrote it.

I hope y'all like it!

* * *

"Sir?" One of the boys asked quietly.

"Are ya deaf?" Daryl asked back, staring him down in the process.

"No, sir," he answered and looked at the tabletop.

"I said we're gonna talk about respect. We're also gonna talk about self-control."

The little ringleader of the group had the decency to look ashamed for a split second before that look of smugness settled back over his features. He truly had no idea what Daryl was capable of.

He took a minute to gather his thoughts before placed the point of his knife into the wooden table and started carving out a little hole as he talked.

"Say, there's this woman. Real sweet, pretty. Got lots of good qualities about her. A woman like that ya respect. Hell, ya respect any woman that crosses your damn path because most of the time they're handlin' shit behind the scenes that makes your life run.

"Anyway, there's this woman, right?" The boys nodded hesitantly as he continued on. "She finds herself in a bit of a predicament because the man's she's with goes away for awhile. Family business, ya know? Now, when he gets back, he finds out that she's gonna have a baby. _Their _baby."

He didn't even know it was possible for a person's face to turn that white, but finally it all seemed to click with this Cole asshole and he swallowed loudly.

"So, he takes a little time to get shit in order before he starts gettin' down to business fixin' the bad decisions he made along the way. All the while, there's this group douchebags that see her situation as an opportunity. Not to do good and help out a lady they thought was in need, but to take advantage, to manipulate.

"Can you imagine how mad that man of hers would be if he found out?"

He was met with silence. And he pointed his bloody knife at Cole and said, "I asked ya a fuckin' question, boy. Can ya even begin to understand how fuckin' furious he'd be?"

He shook his head quickly.

"Ain't go no words now?"

Silence again.

"Well, let me just finish up then. I hear ya ain't bein' pillars of fuckin' society inside these walls." He paused. "That's the respect part." He paused again, letting it sink in before he said, "I'ma lose what little self-control I got left, which is hangin' by a fuckin' thread as it is, and I'm gonna make damn sure that you're left to the walkers, ya hear me?"

Every single one of them nodded again and Daryl slammed his hand against the table, causing them all to jump.

"Look at ya, pissin' your pants right now when not an hour ago, ya were talkin' about fuckin' with my girl. Y'all are a buncha fuckin' pussies. Ain't worth my breath or hers."

Daryl stood up, practically knocking the chair over in the process. He leaned across the table, getting right in that kid's face.

"Do you understand me?" He stressed every single word in a low growl that he didn't even know he possessed.

"Yes." Cole stuttered out and nodded. "Yes, sir. I'm sorry. I'm really sorry."

Daryl caught his eyes for several seconds then smirked before leaning back.

"Go on then. I hear Carol's goin' to do a story time in the library. Y'all might enjoy that."

He didn't wait to hear if they'd respond. Just walked away toward where Merle was clearing the fence, a little of the guilt that had settled over him slipped away with each step he took.

* * *

"Daryl?" Hershel's voice cut through his daze, and he looked over from where he was killing walkers along the fence.

After his conversation with the boys, he'd slid the chair back to where he'd gotten it and gone back to work, this time helping Merle as he cleared the fence. No matter how many walkers he put down or how much blood covered his arms and face, he couldn't wipe the smile from his face. He was proud of himself still at how those boys were trembling in their chairs at his first sentence.

"Yeah?" he asked as he thrust a piece of rebar through the forehead of a walker.

"I need to talk to ya about a couple of things."

Daryl sighed, put down his weapon, and walked to where Hershel was standing, leaving Merle to himself.

"What's goin' on?"

"Well, the fence for one. What do ya think we can do?"

He shrugged. "We can go on a run and get some stuff to reinforce it or gather some cars and use them as barricades against it in case it does fall. They won't be able to get past them, and we'd have time to get out."

"Ya have any ideas as to why they're spreadin' out like this?"

"Naw, I can't see any reason for it, but I'm keepin' a close eye on the fence. There's no weak spots just yet, but if they keep pushin' on it? We need to act soon so we don't end up wakin' up to walkers in our yard."

Hershel nodded. "We'll have to organize a run."

"I ain't got no problem goin'," he said and started to back away.

"Another thang, Daryl."

He seemed nervous, and that made Daryl nervous, so he swallowed and nodded. "Yeah?"

"Beth's not feelin' too well." He paused as Daryl narrowed his eyes.

"Yeah, she mentioned that earlier. Said she thought she worked herself too hard."

Hershel shook his head. "She has a pretty high fever, so I think ya might need to go and look for some antibiotics she can take. If it doesn't break tonight, definitely in the mornin' at the latest."

Daryl stepped closer to Hershel, his heart pounding. She hadn't acted like she was sick. Just tired. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

"I don't know," Hershel said as calmly as he could, but Daryl could hear the slight panic in his voice.

He stared at Beth's father for several seconds before he leaned his head down and whispered, "It ain't the baby is it? Ya don't think it died or anythin' and turned, right?" Daryl's hands were shaking, so he stuffed him into his pockets. "That can't be possible."

When he didn't receive and answer, he met Hershel's eyes and saw how uncertain he was. "I don't know what it is, Daryl. Let's hope it's not that. Maybe it's just a summer cold or somethin'."

"'Summer cold,'" Daryl muttered and walked past Hershel straight to B.

Beth was curled up in the bed asleep with Carol sitting beside the bed.

"Hey," she whispered.

"She doin' okay?"

"Her fever's high, Daryl. It came on so quick."

"Let me go clean up, and I'll sit with her." He toed off his boots and grabbed some clean clothes before hurrying through a shower and coming back in the room.

"I'll leave ya to yaself for a while. Ya need anythin', holler at me." Carol stood and walked out of the cell, stopping to squeeze his hand on the way out.

Daryl nodded, went to other side of the bed, kneeled down on the floor beside Beth, and felt her forehead.

"I'm cold, Daryl," she whispered.

"It'll be okay, songbird. If ya ain't better here a little bit, I'm gonna go get ya some medicine, all right?"

She nodded. "I'm sorry I walked away."

"Don't be. I was an asshole."

Beth was asleep, though, and he wasn't sure if she'd heard him. He traced her cheek and jaw before standing up and going over to the drawers with baby stuff, getting out a washcloth, and walking back to the bathroom. He ran it under the cold water, brought it back to Beth, and laid it over her forehead.

She shivered and tried to take it off, but he held her hands down. "Naw, baby. Ya need to leave it on."

Soon, she fell back into a restless sleep, and Maggie slipped through the curtain. This was the first time she'd been in their new cell, and her eyes widened as she looked around.

"This is amazin'." She looked at Daryl and seemed to find whatever she'd been looking for because she didn't bust his balls about it. "How is she? Daddy said she was sick."

He nodded. "Don't fuckin' know."

"I can watch her if ya would rather get out of here." Maggie said softly. "Ya know, if ya ain't comfortable takin' care of her like this."

"Ain't no problem," he muttered.

"Ya need anythin'? Daddy gave her some Tylenol a little while ago, so she can't have more of that or anythin', I guess."

"Get Merle for me, will ya?"

Maggie made a face but said, "Okay."

She was gone for about five minutes before Merle peeked through the curtain. "She ain't gonna get my ass sick, is she?"

"Fuck off. You and me are goin' lookin' for antibiotics in a little bit."

"Why me?" Merle asked, crossing his arms over his chest, holding out his knife hand away from his skin.

"I need ya to watch my back."

He sighed but nodded. "I'll be waitin'."

Merle was almost gone when Daryl said, "Thanks, man."

He just waved over his shoulder and walked away, leaving Daryl and Beth alone again. He placed his hand on her stomach and breathed a sigh of relief when the baby nudged his hand.

Daryl sat with her for another hour, keeping the cold cloth on her head, before Hershel came back through. "She can have more of these when she wakes up." He handed Daryl a bottle of Tylenol and then placed a hand on her cheek and sighed. "She's still too hot."

"I know," Daryl said and chewed on his thumbnail.

"She needs medicine. She was coughin' a little earlier, too."

"I'm leavin' now," he said and stood up. "Can ya stay with her?"

Hershel looked up and nodded. "You're gonna need this." He passed Daryl a list from his front pocket.

Daryl looked it over and nodded. "Ya always givin' me lists."

Hershel snorted and shook his head. "Just go get that and come back."

"I've been feelin' her belly. The baby's movin' like he usually does. Not bein' harder or anythin'. She ain't bleedin', either." Daryl cleared his throat and avoided Hershel's eyes. "It ain't the baby."

"I hope you're right."

Daryl took the stairs two at a time and slapped Merle on the back of the head as he passed him in the dining area. "Let's go."

"Dickhead."

They jumped into the truck they'd taken before and took off down the driveway, hitting a few walkers once they got outside the gate. Daryl looked out the rearview mirror and a let out a relieved sigh when he saw that Carl had gotten the fence closed.

"Where do ya think we should go that hasn't been emptied by looters?"

Merle smirked and looked out the side window. "Ya go to the places that no one else looks, that's where. We need dealer's houses."

"Dealers that stock antibiotics?"

"Oh, I thought we were gonna get some pain pills, too." He looked let down but shrugged it off. "Hospital pharmacy. Too many walkers hangin' out there for people to loot."

"We're gonna have to wade through walkers to get it," Daryl said and pushed the gas harder.

"Yeah. Gotta have big balls to go after this shit."

"She's worth it. Can't nothin' happen to her."

Merle didn't make one sarcastic comment; instead he nodded and pulled out a cigarette. They rode in silence until they reached the nearest hospital. The sun was beginning to set when they pulled into the parking lot.

"Pharmacy's prolly on the bottom floor," Daryl said as they got out of the truck.

"Yeah. Get you're bow ready." Merle pulled open the door and motioned him inside.

Instead of talking to each other, they used the same hand motions and silent communication they used when they were hunting. They hadn't made it far into the building when Daryl had to turn on his flashlight to see. Occasionally, they'd hear walkers moving around and growling, but they hadn't run into any by the time they reached the center of the hospital. The signs that hung from the ceiling led them directly to the pharmacy, and Merle popped the locked on the door so they could go inside.

"Holy shit," Daryl said as he looked around. It was completely intact. He took off his pack and walked through the shelves, grabbing several bottles of the pills Hershel said they needed. At least this way, no one would have to go back out and look for any more if others got sick.

"Hey," Merle whispered and nodded to the door as he gently moved a chair under the knob.

Daryl walked over to him, listening carefully. He heard the shuffling of walkers down the hall and the muted growls. "Can't go out there. No tellin' how many there is."

Merle shrugged. "We just wait. Let 'em pass." His eyes widened, and he pushed Daryl to the side, his knife hand barely missing Daryl's cheek as he slammed it through the skull of a walker.

"What the hell? It didn't make a fuckin' sound," Merle whisper-shouted and moved back away from the door as the shuffling grew closer.

"We gotta hurry up and get the fuck outta here," Daryl said and moved toward the back of the room. "Ain't never seen a walker like that before."

Merle nodded but kneeled down next to it. "It's brand fuckin' new, man. I bet this thang ain't been a walker more than a few minutes."

"There's other people in here?" Daryl scanned the room, using the flashlight to look into the corners.

Merle walked over to him and started looking under the cabinets. "Don't see nothin'."

"Ain't no other doors in here. I guess to keep the pills safe from thieving assholes," Daryl muttered and moved toward the door, listening carefully. "Gotta get the rest of the stuff on the list." Daryl walked through the pharmacy, dropping bottles of pills into his pack as Merle scanned the shelves with his own flashlight.

He was keeping a close eye on him, and when he saw him slip something into his pocket, he walked his way.

"Whatcha got there?" He pointed at his pocket.

"Nothin'," Merle muttered and stepped further down the row.

Daryl dropped his pack and pushed him up against the wall. Merle tried to shove him away, but Daryl reached into his pocket and pulled out the bottle of pills he'd tried to steal.

"What the fuck are ya doin'? Ya this fuckin' weak, bro?"

"Fuck off. Everythin' is shit. This helps me for a little while."

Daryl thought for a minute and then said, "Carol won't touch your ass if you're high."

"Don't try that shit on me. I didn't promise that bitch anythin'."

"Yeah, well." Daryl shrugged. "What ya want? Pills for a few days that might kill ya or pussy for as long as ya can keep her comin' back?" Merle's jaw ticked, and he looked away. "Uh-huh. Ya just think about that. When ya get back, go get your woman if ya want a good time and to forget for a little while. Don't kill yaself with this shit."

When he was satisfied that Merle was going to keep his hands off the pills, he stepped away, opened the door a crack, and looked out. "I got all my stuff. Let's go."

The hall was empty, and Merle followed him as they went the opposite direction of the walkers. After a few minutes of hiding and running as quietly as they could, they made it to the lobby.

"Fuckin' figures," Merle muttered and took his hunting knife from its sheath at his hip.

The walkers turned when they heard his voice and started staggering toward them. "Get your ass out to the truck. Pick me up when I'm done."

"Don't ya fuckin' think about it, Merle." He grabbed his arm, but Merle yanked it back.

"Go on, Darla. Ain't got all day."

Merle started shouting and the walkers followed him to the other side of the lobby while Daryl slipped out and ran across the lot to the truck. When he cranked it up, he turned and drove it straight for the lobby doors, not slowing down a bit.

He smashed through the glass and into half the walkers. "Ya stupid sonofabitch," Merle yelled as he ran for the truck. "You're gonna bring 'em down on us."

"Get in the fuckin' truck, asshole."

Merle hopped in and slammed the door in the face of a decaying walker as Daryl backed out as quickly as he could. When they turned for the road, he looked in his rearview mirror to see a whole lot more walkers pour from the opening in the lobby.

"That was a close call," he said and looked over at his brother. "Ya all right?"

"I'm fine. I had it under control."

Daryl nodded and hit the gas while Merle removed his knife hand and took out another cigarette.

"I ain't leavin' that fuckin' prison for at least a week. Every time I follow your ass somewhere I end up bein' walker bait."

"Bullshit," Daryl said. "Ya volunteered for the job."

"Someone's gotta take care of your sorry ass."

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Whatever."

* * *

The prison was quiet when they got back. Merle stalked toward the back of C where Carol's cell was, and Daryl tried not to think about what was going to happen there. Hell, if it kept Merle sober, he'd take it.

Beth was laying under the covers with Hershel sitting in a chair beside her, reading his Bible.

"She any better?" he asked as he held out the pack with all the medicine in it.

Hershel shook his head. "Not any worse, though."

Daryl scratched his jaw. "Anythin' else I can do for her?"

"Ya know if she's been eatin'?"

Daryl shook his head. "She said she didn't feel good. She didn't eat a lot today at all."

"Can ya go get her some broth? She needs to eat somethin'. That might help her fight it off."

"I can do that," he said and turned for the door.

It took him a few minutes to find a can of broth and a pot to heat it up with. He stood and watched as it started to boil and then took it off the stove.

"Ya all right?" Maggie asked quietly, and he had to stop himself from jumping at her voice.

"Fine." He got a bowl and poured the broth into it. He'd finish what she didn't.

"Ya don't look fine. Ya look like you're at the end of your rope," she said, walking toward him.

"Yeah, well, ain't had a very good day, I don't guess."

Maggie nodded and stepped out of his way. "I'll come up in the mornin' so ya can get some sleep."

"Ya ain't gotta do that. I can take care of her."

She eyed him curiously as he passed but didn't try to press the issue.

Hershel stood when he walked back in the cell. "I'ma need your help to get her to take this."

He set the broth down on the plastic drawers and crouched down beside Beth.

"Hey, Beth, ya need to wake up for a minute." She smiled at the sound of his voice. "C'mon, ain't got all day." He pushed her hair off her forehead, feeling how warm she still was.

"Will ya stay tonight?" she asked, opening her eyes. They were glassy with fever, and it was like she was looking through him. "I know you're scared, but stay anyway."

He tried to ignore the fact that Hershel was behind him and said, "I'm stayin'. Ya ain't gonna get rid of me."

"Good," she whispered and started to close her eyes again.

"Naw, Beth. Ya gotta take this pill. You're sick."

After a couple more minutes of coaxing, he got her to swallow the pill and a few sips of soup before she fell asleep.

He looked over at Hershel and nodded to the other side of the bed. "Ya can lay there for the night. I know ya don't wanna leave her. I'll sleep in the chair."

He looked at Daryl like he was going to argue but then shrugged, walked around to the other side of the bed, and sat down before lying down on his back.

Daryl took the chair and stretched his legs out in front of him as he tried to fall asleep, but every time Beth groaned or moved around, he jerked awake and leaned toward her. "Shhh," he whispered, leaning down against the bed. "You're gonna be all right."

Once during the night, Beth started coughing, and he sat her up, patting her back. Hershel moved to help him, and Beth wrapped her arms around Daryl's neck, trying to catch her breath.

"Can't breathe," she coughed out.

"Yeah, ya can," he said calmly. "Ya couldn't talk otherwise. Just look at me." When Beth met his eyes, he said, "Calm down. You're gonna be fine. Breathe like me, songbird. Just like me."

It took her several minutes to calm down and stop coughing, and she leaned against him. "What's wrong with me?"

"Don't know."

"Is the baby okay."

He shrugged. "Far as I can tell."

"Good."

When he tried to lay her down on the pillows, she gripped his shoulders tighter. "Let me sit with ya."

"I'll move," Hershel said. "Looks like ya got it under control."

Beth turned slowly. "Daddy?"

"Ya get some sleep, baby girl."

She nodded and lay down, and Hershel stood up. "I'll be back in the mornin'."

"All right."

Daryl took off his boots and scooted into the bed behind her, hoping that Hershel wasn't going to knock him over the head with a chair for how they were lying now. He didn't say anything, though, and when Daryl heard the curtain swish, he sighed in relief.

The few hours of sleep he got were a godsend. He gave her the second pill right as the sun rose, and she seemed to be losing some of the fever. Daryl had just finished lacing up his boots when he heard a bunch of noise from C block. He grabbed his bow, ran through the door, and looked below into the eating area.

Glenn looked up at him with wide eyes, and his blood froze in his veins when he shouted, "Daryl, walkers in D!"


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

Thanks Jen for editing this!

Thank you everyone for reviewing! I'll let you dive right in…

* * *

Daryl looked back at his and Beth's cell before running across B and down the steps. Hershel walked toward him, holding Judith, and Daryl yelled, "Get up there with 'er. Lock yaself in."

He didn't stop to think about who he was yelling at or the effects that would have when things settled back down. All he cared about was that Beth was safe while there were walkers in the prison.

Daryl followed Glenn toward the closed door between the blocks and readied his bow. Once the door was opened, all hell broke loose. People were trying to get out, but Daryl pushed them back in.

"Get a fuckin' weapon. Ya ain't leavin' here unless ya've been checked out. If ya ain't bit, get into a fuckin' cell or fight if ya can," he shouted as he pushed a group of Woodbury children a little younger than Carl into a cell and slammed it shut.

He barely had time to turn around before a walker had him pinned to the cell bars. He used his bow to push it away then grabbed his knife and planted it right between the thing's eyes.

"How many we got?" he hollered to no one in particular.

"Ten or so," Glenn answered.

Daryl raced forward, killing two more walkers in quick succession. "We the only ones killin' these bastards?"

"I'm here, Darylina. Keep your panties on," Merle said as he walked past him, shoving his knife hand through the face of a walker.

It took them a several more minutes to kill all the walkers that were wandering around, and they still had one that was locked in a cell.

"What the fuck's wrong with this bastard?" Merle asked, tilting his head to the side. "It's bleeding out its damn eyes and ears."

"This isn't good," Glenn muttered.

"The fence is goin' down!" Maggie yelled, runnin' into D and stopping short. "Oh my God. What happened?"

"Fuckin' chaos," Daryl said, jogging through the door. "What ya mean the fence is goin' down?"

"There's a ton of walkers piled against it, and it's failin'."

"What a fuckin' day," Merle sighed.

As they ran out into the yard, Rick yelled for them to follow him, and they ran to the truck. The rest of the pigs were loaded into the back, and Rick said, "Cut and throw 'em out when we pass the walkers. We gotta get 'em off the fence now."

Merle raised an eyebrow and got in the cab, and Daryl hauled himself over the back of the truck and grabbed the nearest pig.

For the next several minutes, he was tossed around—and nearly out of—the beat-up ol' Chevy while throwing four seriously pissed-off pigs to walkers.

It got them off the fence long enough for a couple of cars to be driven down the fence and parked along side it.

When they pulled into the yard, Rick hopped out of the truck and started running for B.

"Was Judith safe?"

"Hershel has her with Beth," Daryl answered, running through the door behind him.

"Good."

They ran into D to see the kids crying and blood and dead walkers all over the floor.

"What happened?" Rick asked.

The Indian doctor who had come from Woodbury stepped forward, wiping sweat from his brow. "They were sick. This walker here," he pointed to the one still trapped in the cell. "He has no bites or cuts. The other walker, the first one that was found, he has the same bleeding. I believe this is a fast-moving virus."

"Ya serious? How the hell?" Rick kicked the stool next to him.

Hershel's voice sounded over the racket. "The pig, Rick. It was sick. That wild hog that Michonne spotted out in the woods a few days ago was, too. Even before all this happened with the walkers, pigs and birds were able to transfer viruses to humans. It makes sense since we're all not used to gettin' sick that this would happen."

"So what do we do?" he asked the doctor.

"We should quarantine all those that show signs of illness. Based on these two, I would say that if left untreated that the virus will move quickly."

Daryl's mind started racing as he thought about Beth's illness and how it obviously wasn't just a summer cold. Hershel must have noticed his panic because he shook his head quickly and said, "She doesn't have this. She would have had a lot worse than a little cough and fever. The antibiotics wouldn't have worked so quickly, either."

"You have medicine?" The doctor asked, walking toward Hershel.

"Yes, Daryl and his brother went to get some last night. His—my daughter's ill."

Daryl hung his head and gripped his bow strap. Wasn't it a shame that Hershel didn't even have anything to call them that didn't sound pathetic? His knocked-up girlfriend? His baby's momma?

"You should've come to me, and I would've examined her."

"We didn't want to involve anyone just yet. She's about seven months pregnant and wouldn't have wanted anyone fussin' over her."

"In light of recent events, I'd like to check on her. If that's all right with you, Dr. Greene."

Hershel looked to Daryl and raised an eyebrow. "What?" he asked.

"Is that okay with ya?"

Daryl shrugged. "I'm fine with it, but I imagine ya should ask her."

"If you'll lead the way, I'll get right to work," the doctor said as Daryl turned and started toward their cell.

When he slid open the door and pushed the curtain aside, Beth was laying on her side with Judith beside her. She was still very pale and sickly looking.

"Everythin' all right?" She looked past him to her father and the doctor.

"When it rains, it pours," Daryl said and pointed to his right. "Dr. S is gonna look ya over."

"Hi, Beth," he said softly and sat down beside her. "Why don't you tell me what you've been experiencing."

Beth launched into great detail about how she'd been feeling over the last couple of days, and Dr. S nodded along, asking other questions based on what she was saying. Hershel took a seat on the end of the bed and occupied Judith while Daryl chewed on his thumbnail, listening to Beth and the doctor talk.

"Well, from what it sounds like to me, you have an upper respiratory infection. It's not severe at all, and the antibiotics will clear it up. Now, can you tell me about your pregnancy?"

This went on for several more minutes and Daryl was getting antsy to speak with her alone. Finally, Dr. S leaned away, and Daryl thought it meant he was leaving so he stepped out of the doorway.

"Your father estimates that you're about seven months along? If you'll lay back, I'll measure your stomach." He pulled a frayed measuring tape from his pocket, lifted her shirt to her stomach, and felt below her belly button.

She looked at Daryl and said, "Yeah, around that."

"That seems about right. I only did a rotation in obstetrics so I'm not much help, but I can feel the baby here, and it would seem you're close on your time frame. I would imagine since it's your first child that you might run over."

"Great." Beth sighed. "So there's that to look forward to."

He laughed and pulled her shirt down. "I think you'll be fine, Beth. Just make sure to keep a wide berth between you and those who might get sick from D or even your own group, okay?"

Beth's forehead scrunched up and she looked at her father then to him. "What sickness? I thought you said it was just a few walkers?"

The doctor shifted uncomfortably and excused himself to look at the others from D and Hershel left right after, leaving the hard stuff to Daryl.

"Looks like a couple of 'em kicked it 'cause they got sick," he said when they were alone. "Not the same thang you've got, but worse. Maybe from the pig that died or just all 'round bad luck, I guess. We got medicine though, so surely that will help. And we'll keep ya safe over here with Judith, so she don't get sick, either."

"Didn't ya go over there? Wouldn't that make ya open to catchin' it? What about us all bein' 'round each other yesterday? I mean, it just doesn't kick in right away. And if it's the pigs? Judith is around Rick constantly. If anybody'll get sick, it'll be him and Carl. What good is a quarantine goin' to do, Daryl?"

"Just to make people feel safer," he said and shrugged. "Everythin' is outta control maybe this will make 'em feel like they like can change somethin'."

Beth sighed and shifted onto her side again. She placed a hand on Judith's back and closed her eyes. "I'm so worn out. Will ya shut the door? I don't wanna fall asleep and have her crawl out and stumble down the stairs."

He hated that he was being dismissed, but she was having a rough time, so he did as she asked then made sure the cellblock door was secure downstairs before checking over everything to make sure it was still safe and heading back out to C.

"Looks like we're on clean-up, baby brother." Merle had a bandana over his nose and mouth and pointed at D.

"Great," he mumbled, pulling his bandana out of his back pocket.

It took them a few hours to get all the victims and walkers taken outside and burned while everyone else tended to the inside. There were maybe twenty Woodbury residents left, and most of them were either old folks or kids. He felt numb over the whole thing, especially when he realized only two of the boys from that group he'd given hell the day before were still living.

After the cellblock was cleaned, they were allowed back inside, and Hershel and Caleb went around to each person, checking for symptoms.

Everything seemed fine for the first day after the attacks, but then the virus showed up again. Caleb placed a woman and man into quarantine and said that more would be likely. He distributed the medicine and watched over them, but everything seemed to move in fast forward. Regardless of the medicine, the fever progressed, and they had to take turns sitting in the rooms with them just in case they died and turned.

The quarantined area turned into the whole D block after the first twenty-four hours. Nearly every single Woodbury resident contracted the virus, including Andrea, who refused treatment. Hershel spent a good hour trying to reason with her, but she couldn't be moved. She'd wanted to die back in Atlanta and Dale had guilted her out of it, but this time she was holding strong.

She wasn't the first to die, but she was the first to die by her own hand. When she felt like she was close to going, she put a bullet through her head with Michonne sitting beside her. They couldn't control much anymore, but he gave her credit for controlling how she ended up.

Daryl was in and out of D over the following days, dragging bodies and burning them. He stayed away from Beth, relying on Maggie to go to and from B for him, bring her food, and check on her. He missed being around her so much.

He was in the process of taking off his bandana when he saw Merle walk with Carol into C, leading her away from D to her cell and whispering furiously into her ear. He wondered what it was about but couldn't go and ask about it. Carol had been acting off since it all went down, and he imagined it had something to do with the two girls she was now caretaker for. Their daddy had been one of the people attacked by a walker in the cellblock, and he was struggling to hold on when Carol found him and promised to care for the girls. He wasn't too sure what their names were, but he knew they hung around with Carl.

He took a break to go wash his hands in the kitchen and gather up lunch. He was almost ready to eat when he heard a chair scrape across the floor, and Rick yelled, "Help!"

Daryl ran through the door just in time to watch Rick try to lift Glenn off the floor. "He's got it."

"Fuck."

He looked down at the food in his hand and put it on the table. He helped Rick get Glenn to Dr. S then thoroughly washed his hands and arms again before he ate his portions of food as quickly as he could.

Daryl almost missed Maggie walking out of the kitchen looking flustered and scared, holding a bowl of stew. She was probably trying to get Beth's lunch before running off to check on Glenn.

"Lunch?" he asked, stopping her.

"Yeah." She tried to moved past him, but he wouldn't let her.

"I'll get it to her." He took the bowl. "What the hell difference does it make anyway? She was around all of 'em just like the rest of us. If we're gonna die, we're gonna die."

Maggie looked down at her feet. "That's a terrible thought. I don't want anyone else to die."

"Me neither, but might as well prepare for it."

Daryl walked quickly up the stairs and into B. The cell door was closed, so he figured she must have been trying to keep Judith in one place. He tapped lightly on the cell door and said, "Miss Greene? I have your lunch."

She pulled the curtain back fast and smiled at him. "It's been so long since I've seen ya, Daryl. I missed ya. Are ya feelin' okay?"

He nodded with a smirk. "Yeah. Can't no one kill a Dixon but a Dixon."

"You're such a man," she whispered and opened the cell door. When he walked in, she went in for a kiss, but he pulled back. "Ya ain't gonna get me sick. If it was gonna happen, it would've already."

Daryl shrugged and said, "Glenn's sick now."

Beth walked to the bed and sat down, dropping her head into her hands. "What are we gonna do?"

"Don't know. Dr. S's sick, too. He's forced your dad out of quarantine and only allows us in to get the bodies."

"How many are left?"

"Out of Woodbury? A few kids, Tyreese, and Sasha. Bob's not sick, but he's not Woodbury. All the older people went pretty fast even with the medicine. Ain't that some shit? Survive all this and get taken down by a souped-up cold."

"Please stay away from there." She was wringing her hands together nervously.

"I won't go in unless it's to bring someone out, and then I'll make sure to put somethin' over my face."

He handed Beth her food and stood against the wall of the cell as she ate. When this passed, if they were still alive, he was going to make more of an effort with her. He'd decided it after he'd talked with those boys days before but hadn't put any of it into action. He'd change that if he got the chance.

* * *

Over the next few days, things got real bad and then started to even out. Glenn stabilized but only after Hershel had to intubate him. That had been a whole other clusterfuck, trying to get the stuff.

Merle and Michonne were supposed to go with Bob to get the medical supplies, and Tyreese tagged along right before they left. When they got back a few hours later, Merle threw the bag of stuff across the table at Hershel, causing Daryl and Rick to stand up and yell at his retreating back.

"Fuck off, Officer Friendly," he said and turned, pointing at Bob. "That piece of shit there almost got us all killed for a bottle of fuckin' scotch. I ain't goin' out no more unless it's with my brother."

Bob shuffled off to his cell, and Tyreese looked at Hershel. "Would Karen have lived if ya had this stuff? Did she die 'cause she wasn't one of y'all's people?"

Hershel opened his mouth to talk, but Carol cut in first. "Karen died 'cause she was sick. The medicine wasn't helpin' her, and she was in pain. Ya need to remember that instead of tryin' to look for someone to take your anger out on all the damn time."

He stared at her hard for several seconds before walking into D where his sister was recovering.

It was two weeks from the time the outbreak started to when things finally calmed down. They closed D off completely when Glenn had recovered enough to be moved back to his cell, put the kids in one cell together in C, and let Tyreese, Sasha, and Bob pick their own cells from what was left over.

Daryl sat on his ledge overlooking the dining area as people—Beth included—ate quietly, and he sighed. They'd lost over half their group in such a short time. He tried to look for positives, but felt like an asshole for thinking they now had plenty food and supplies to last a few weeks.

Beth stood up from the table and walked to the kitchen, and he watched her carefully. She'd be having a baby in about a month probably. If people went down because of a cold, the chances of dying in childbirth were probably a lot fucking higher.

"You're thinkin' hard," Michonne said as she sat next to him.

"Yeah," he said quietly, putting his food down. "Worried, I guess."

"About Beth?" Daryl nodded. "Does she need anythin'?"

"She don't know much about havin' a baby. Hell, neither do I. What the fuck we gonna do?"

Michonne hummed and looked over at him. "She'll be okay, but I'll talk to her."

"You a nurse or somethin'?"

"Or somethin'," she said and walked down the stairs to get her own dinner.

Daryl didn't bother stopping her. She held her past tight to her chest just like he did. Besides, if she could talk to Beth and maybe put some of her worries at ease, he'd be thankful for it.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

Thank you, Jen, for editing this story for me! And thank you to everyone who is reading, reviewing or both.

* * *

For the next two weeks, Michonne sat with Beth at lunchtime and they talked about birthing. Beth didn't tell him much about their discussions, just that Michonne had helped a friend of hers through an at-home birth a few years ago and had gone to natural child birthing classes with her when her boyfriend bailed.

She was starting to feel more confident, and when Carol joined their talks, she walked around with a smile on her face most days.

A storm seemed to be brewing in him though. He worried constantly about her and the baby. How he would be as a father and as a partner to Beth. A woman like her deserved something permanent, but he couldn't bring himself to go out and find her a ring or even bring up the topic.

He felt useless most days because there wasn't anything he could do for her anymore. She was so tired and she didn't sleep well at all. The baby would move around in the middle of the night, and since she was so tiny, it hurt her ribs or woke her up if she had been sleeping.

Daryl would rest his hand over her stomach and try and imagine his son or daughter, if they'd act like him or her. Would they have her looks or his? He knew nothing about how he'd been as child. He didn't even have any baby pictures since their house had burned down when he was young.

All he remembered of his childhood was terrible things, and he felt like his throat was closing up if he thought of his kid hearing the things he did as a child. It didn't matter how this kid was conceived, it wouldn't ever think it wasn't wanted. He tried to make himself believe that he wouldn't be like his father, that he wouldn't yell and call the kid names or smack him around just because.

The result of his thoughts had made him feel like he was about to burst. No matter how much time he spent out into the woods, the anxiety wouldn't go away.

Daryl sighed heavily and finished walking up the steps to their cell. Hershel had pointed him that direction after he'd come back in from checking his traps, and he hoped that maybe her presence would make him calmer, like it used to.

"What are ya doin'?" he asked when he walked into their cell. He wasn't sure how it was happening, but she'd gotten even bigger, and she looked about to pop.

"Practicin' breathin'."

"Ya gotta practice that?" He laughed, sitting beside her.

She smiled at him and nodded. "Michonne said if I practice and can calm myself down that maybe I can do that durin' my contractions and manage my pain better."

He watched her for several minutes before he whispered, "Teach me." Beth opened her eyes and looked over at him. "That way I can help, ya know?"

"Okay. That'd be really good, actually." Beth scooted off the bed to sit on the floor. "Sit behind me?" Daryl slipped in behind her and she leaned back into his chest. "This is really nice. I don't think we've gotten to just _be_ in a while."

"Yeah," he said quietly as he moved her hair over her shoulder.

Beth linked their fingers together and placed them on her belly. "Just breathe like me. Try to block out everythin' else. Michonne said if it helps, think about a special place that brought you peace."

Even though he felt silly, he closed his eyes and started to match Beth's breathing. After a couple of minutes, the tension left his shoulders and Beth sighed. "I can feel ya relaxin'. What are ya thinkin' about?"

He thought about it and shook his head. "Nothin'. Just feelin' ya. Everythin's quiet, you're safe, you're right in my arms. Can't think of nothin' else that puts me more at ease." Beth leaned her head back and kissed his cheek. "What do we do now?" he asked, trying to take focus off of what he just said.

"This is pretty much it."

"Damn. I don't think this is gonna help too much."

The way she had her head leaning against his shoulder opened up her neck to him, so he leaned down and kissed her softly.

"I don't think that will help either," she said, laughing. "In fact, I'm pretty sure that's what led to this."

Daryl continued to kiss up her neck and hummed against her skin. "Always wanna touch ya."

Beth shrugged away and tried to stand, so he stood up quickly and helped her. When she was standing, he bent down to kiss her, but she didn't seem all that interested.

"Somethin' wrong?" he asked, cupping her cheek.

She shook her head. "If ya want to, we can."

He stared into her eyes and said, "Naw, that ain't how this works. I don't want ya to endure it. I want ya to want me as much as I want you."

"I do. I'm just really self-conscious is all."

"Let me make you feel good, Beth. I think you're fuckin' beautiful."

She nodded, and this time when he kissed her, she kissed him back like she used to. Daryl walked her to the bed and undressed her, taking time to kiss her shoulders and neck and then down to show attention to her tits.

"I fuckin' love these," he muttered as he sucked on her nipple as gently as he could so she wouldn't make him stop.

Her hands were in his hair, but she was quiet and her breathing was steady. Beth moved her hands and tugged on his jeans until they fell to his ankles and pulled him to lie down beside her.

Daryl kicked off his boots and jeans, pulled down her sweatpants and panties, and threw them off to the side. He ran his hands up her legs and parted them, leaning forward to kiss her again as his fingers skimmed her pussy.

Beth's eyes were closed and she shifted against him. When he realized she wasn't wet at all, he moved his hand to rest on her hip.

"Hey, we don't gotta do shit. I ain't gonna sit here and force ya into somethin'. Ya can tell me no. I ain't gonna be mad." He went to kiss her, and his hard-on died when he saw the tears running down her cheeks. "Don't cry. It's okay."

She turned and sobbed into his chest for several minutes before she said, "I don't know what's wrong with me. I want to cry all the time, and I look at you, and I want ya, but why would ya want me? I'm fat, and I can't even see my feet anymore. I have these stretch marks all on my stomach and the sides of my boobs." She launched into another round of crying, and he just hugged her to him and tried to calm her down.

"I think you're so beautiful, songbird," he whispered, meaning every single word. "Seein' ya like this? It drives me crazy 'cause I never thought I'd have any of it. Never before and definitely not after the walkers. I think you're amazin'."

Beth sniffled a little and smiled up at him. "Really?"

"Yeah, baby. Really."

After a few seconds she asked, "Will ya stay with me when the time comes?" He was surprised by her question, and by the way her grip on his hands tightened, he knew she was afraid, and he was terrified at the idea, but there was no way he could tell her no.

"If ya want me, yeah."

"I do," she said sincerely. "In fact, I sorta want ya to promise me somethin'."

He narrowed his eyes at her and leaned away to get a better look at her face. She was biting her lip and fidgeting. "What?" he asked hesitantly.

She swallowed and started talking fast. "I want ya to promise that ya won't get Maggie or Carol until it's almost time for the baby to come. I don't want them fussin' around me or givin' me advice, tellin' me it's meant to hurt when I'm cursin'. Can it just be me and you?"

"Uhhhh," he stammered and shifted uncomfortably.

"Please?"

There was that fucking word again. His skin seemed to tingle a little as he thought of what all that might entail.

"I ain't gonna have to catch it as it's comin' out or anythin', right?" He tried to joke, but it fell flat.

She rolled her eyes and scoffed, her emotions changing from crying to annoyed in a split second. "It's not gonna fly out, Daryl, and no, don't be stupid—I'm not expectin' ya to deliver the baby. I just want it to be us when I'm laborin' and then have Maggie and Carol come when it's time to push. Maybe _you_ should talk to Michonne some."

He stood up, careful not to jostle her around too much. He didn't like her tone or how she seemed to be talking down to him. He shrugged off people when they made it seem like he was stupid, but she'd cut him just then. He was thrown for a loop anyway with all the crying then bitching. Throw in how he'd been going all over the place with this baby business inside his head, and he just had to get away.

He started pulling on his clothes. "I ain't stupid," he said quietly, not really meaning to say that part, but somehow it slipped out. He finished quickly with, "I'll do whatever ya want."

Beth looked up at him and sighed. "I didn't mean it like that."

He shrugged and put on his boots. "I gotta go out and check the fences anyway. I'll be back later."

As he walked toward the cell door, Beth sat up and wrapped the sheet around her. "I don't want ya to leave right now. Not with ya upset with me."

"Ain't upset, girl. It takes a whole lot more to hurt me than what just happened here," he lied as he motioned to her and the bed then pulled aside the curtain and walked out.

As he walked down the stairs into the dining area, he noticed Hershel sitting at a table, reading, and took a sharp left to avoid him. That ran him into a hallway where he was scarred by seeing Glenn and Maggie going at it. "Go to your cell. Damn," he muttered as he turned around.

He was aggravated and antsy by the time he made it outside. Fucking hell, he thought. He'd been told his whole life what a useless pussy he was. He'd been called _stupid_, _moron_, and _idiot_ more times then he could count. Even though he knew she didn't mean it like that, it still burned him up.

He was quiet. He wasn't stupid.

He was observant and didn't talk if it had no bearing on what was being said. He wasn't an idiot.

Daryl unsheathed his knife and started toward the fence. He walked around it several times, noticing that walker prints were leading to one particular place. He followed the shuffling prints to an area of fencing on the side of the prison. When he looked around, he noticed several half-eaten mice and small footprints around their bodies and more prints that led back to the prison.

He studied the area for a while, looking over the footprints of the walkers, seeing the ones along the fence didn't move away to search for food or even growl too loudly at him.

It was almost like they were waiting for someone.

In this cooler weather, some kid fucking around with walkers, teasing them, wouldn't be a big deal; but when it was warmer? Hell, bringing food out and taunting them with it? That could bring a fucking fence down.

Daryl looked down the length of the fence to where the cars were still parked to reinforce what had almost fell a few weeks ago and shook his head. "No fuckin' way."

* * *

Over the course of the evening, he gathered up the other members of the council, but then decided, _fuck it_, and called all the adults into the meeting. There weren't that many of them left anyway.

The kids were all tucked away in bed, including Carl, who was pretty pissed he got shut out.

After he explained his theory to the group, he looked over each of their faces, searching for someone who backed up his reasoning. Beth was feeling her stomach and seemed preoccupied, but the others were looking at him blankly.

"So ya think one of our kids is feedin' these things?" Rick asked.

"Well, the walkers sure as shit aren't pickin' up mice by their tails and eatin' half of 'em and tossin' the rest down."

Rick nodded. "I'll talk to Carl in the mornin', and we'll keep a better eye on the fence and kids."

Everyone nodded in agreement with Rick, and Merle said, "That's the craziest shit I've ever heard. Ya think one of those little kids in there is feedin' those things? There's a little boy that's scared of his own damn shadow and two little girls that spend more time pickin' flowers than anythin' else. That leaves ya with Carl, and I can see him doin' somethin' stupid like this, just to get 'em close enough to fuck 'em up, but ya ain't seen any dead walkers, so I'm sayin' the mice are a fuckin' coincidence."

"Ya can't be serious with me," Daryl said in disbelief. "Dead mice with little kid footprints around them?"

"Maybe they were walkin' over that way and saw 'em. Don't mean shit. Your footprints are all over 'em now. That mean you been playin' with the walkers, too? In case ya don't know what I mean, coincidence means it just all happened." He looked over at Beth and smirked. "Ya better hope that baby takes after you and ain't as dumb as its daddy."

Daryl charged across the room and shouted, "I'm gonna fuck you up, ya piece of shit."

"Whoa. Ya lookin' for a fight, baby brother?" He must have seen the flash of fury in Daryl's eyes because he smiled and took his knife off his hand. "C'mon on then, pussy. I'll beat your ass like I've always done."

Merle pulled back his arm with the steel attachment on it, but Daryl ducked down and tackled him to the ground. Daryl got in a couple of good shots before Merle checked him across the jaw and he rolled off.

"What kinda bitch move was that? Ya gonna pull my hair next, ya fuckin' girl?"

"Kiss my ass, Meryl."

"Kitten's got claws," Merle laughed and swung at his head.

Merle was stronger, but Daryl was faster. No one from the group tried to step in and separate then, but he could hear Beth crying and pleading with him to stop as his fist landed on Merle's ribs several times in a row.

"Even your bitch is worried about me beatin' your ass," Merle whispered.

"She needs to learn to stop worryin' over me, then," he said as he pushed him away, then swung with all his might, and landed a right on Merle's jaw.

He fell to the floor, and Daryl kicked him in the stomach—hard. "Fuckin' bitch," he said and spit at the ground.

He turned and looked at everyone else as Merle picked himself off the ground, laughing. Remembering a time when his father had down the same thing. He'd been fifteen, and Daryl got tired of getting wailed on, so he'd pulled back a fist and dropped his old man in on decent punch.

And that's when the dam burst.

"I'm about sick of all y'all thinkin' I'm some redneck retard that's only good for gettin' his hands dirty and doin' the heavy liftin'."

Beth started to walk toward him, and he held up his hand, waving her off. "You're just like 'em. Think I'm some dumbass," he said and turned away before he said anything else, trying desperately to stem the leak inside himself.

Everyone watched in silence as he started toward the door, but Merle laughed and followed him. "Well, if ya feel that strongly about it, Darla, I'll go with ya," Merle said and put his knife back in its place.

"Fuck off," Daryl said and flung open the yard door.

"Awww, c'mon, baby brother, ya won," he said and trailed out into the yard behind him.

They walked in silence for several minutes before Merle groaned. "Sorry, okay?"

"Whatever," Daryl muttered. "I'll get over it."

Daryl shrugged and went back to shining his flashlight around the bottom of the fence. Of course there was nothing new. After another turn around the whole prison, they made sure that Maggie and Glenn were in the guard tower and then went back inside.

Merle gave him a chin jerk before walking off to his cell, and Daryl started up the stairs leading up to the walkway to B. He was halfway up the stairs when he heard Hershel say his name.

He looked down and saw him in his corner cell, leaning on a crutch since he'd taken his prosthetic off. "A word, please?"

"Why not," Daryl mumbled and walked back down the stairs and over his cell. When he got within reach, Hershel picked up his crutch and swung, hitting him in the arm. "What the fuck, old man?"

"You ever talk to my daughter like that again? You'll regret it, ya hear me, son? She's emotional and pretty close to her time, and you're brawlin' with your brother and causin' her stress? Get your head on straight, Daryl."

Before he could answer him, Hershel hit him with the crutch again. "Fuck." He rubbed his arm and took a few steps away.

Hershel smirked and then went back into his cell, closing the curtain.

Daryl climbed the stairs slowly, feeling shittier than before and not just because he was sore from fighting with Merle or from Hershel banging that crutch against him. It was because he'd snapped at Beth. She hadn't deserved it.

He opened the curtain, but the room was dark. As carefully as he could, he walked to his side of the bed, reached out for the lamp, and turned the light up on it slowly. When there was a dim glow, he turned his head to look at Beth, but the bed was empty. He looked around the room quickly, pulling out his flashlight and scanning the cell. If she wasn't in here, there wasn't any use in trying not to blind her.

After he made sure she wasn't there, he walked quickly to the bathroom, but it was empty, too. He turned, ran into C, and went down the stairs, but he didn't bother looking in his old cell. She wasn't there. She'd gone back to her old cell, he'd bet money on it.

"Beth?" he whispered as loudly as he could without actually speaking in a normal voice. The cell door was shut and the curtain was closed. "Beth?" He waited for several seconds before he said, "Just let me know you're there and you're okay."

"I'm fine," she said quietly. "Go to sleep, Daryl."

"I'm sorry. I'm really fuckin' sorry."

"I know, but I just need time to think." He could hear the tears in her voice and was surprised when his own vision grew cloudy.

"Please," he whispered. "I'm beggin' ya, Beth, don't do this. I'm a dick, I know, but please."

"Just get some sleep, Daryl."

"I can't sleep with ya gone."

Beth cleared her throat. "You'll be fine."

He slammed his palms against the bars. "I've got a key. I can get in here."

There was a few seconds of silence and then she said, "Ya won't, though. Not if I don't want ya to."

"Fine," he mumbled and hit the bars again before stomping up the stairs and slamming the door between C and B as he went through.

He threw himself down on their bed and put his arm over his eyes, pushing down hard as if it would help keep the tears in their place. But it didn't. He rolled over as they fell down his cheeks, and he hugged Beth's pillow to his chest.

"Fuckin' pussy," he muttered to himself as he wiped the wetness off his cheeks.

He tried to remember the last time he'd really cried in the dark by himself. Not because he was scared or mad, but because he hurt. Probably when his momma had died. She might not have been the best mother, but she was the only one he'd had and the only soft spot in his life. After she was gone, he hardened up quick. The old man wasn't a fan of tears.

Daryl swallowed and shook those thoughts away, but still couldn't push away the feeling of being eleven years old and realizing that his world was shit. He was making Beth's world shit, too. All he'd done since she came to him was make her sad or hurt her. Make her go against her own desires to keep him because he was selfish.

Maybe if he left things would be better? How many times had he thought this about his dad? He could save her and this kid a lot of trouble if he just took on now.

She could move on, and eventually, they'd find people that were good and she could meet a good man. A man who could deal with his feelings and not let them take over his entire body, making him so tense he thought he'd snap open if he didn't hit something.

The more he thought about his plan, the more he settled on it in his head while his heart was screaming at him to stop. The thought of her and his child with anyone else was making his chest crack wide open, but he ignored it as best he could. He packed a small backpack that he took on hunting trips and picked up his bow. Daryl gave the room and final look and lingered over the bed and the crib thing. He'd miss them, but he told himself that they'd be better off without his sorry ass.

No one was awake as he walked downstairs to C. He paused by Beth's cell and leaned his forehead against the bars. "I'm sorry," he whispered and then walked out the door.

Glenn waved at him as he slipped out of the gate, and he waved over his shoulder, walking down the gravel path until he reached the woods.

He looked back at the prison one time before he blended into the woods and out of its sight.

* * *

A/N: Trust me.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

Thank you, Jen, for editing this!

A very big thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter! I really loved reading your thoughts on what's happening.

I can't wait to know what you think of this one!

* * *

Beth woke up feeling more tired than when she'd finally fallen asleep. She'd been terrible yesterday, and she knew it. She couldn't help but feel that it wasn't totally her fault, though. It was like her emotions weren't her own, and she'd cry or snap at the drop of a hat. Part of the reason she'd gone up to their cell in the first place was because she'd smarted off to her dad when he'd told her she looked like she was going to pop soon.

Who says that sort of thing to a pregnant woman? Like she needed someone to tell her she was a whale.

So she'd gone into their cell to practice the breathing Michonne had taught her and tried to calm down. That just made her realize what a bitch she was being to everyone, so she got sad. Then Daryl came in, and after a rare moment of opening himself up to her, she made him feel like shit, and he walked away.

Of course she cried some more once he was gone. She was a mess, and how he continued to put up with her, she'd never know.

She knew that she'd started this between them and a majority of the time she'd pushed him beyond his comfort zone, especially with wanting to go public, but she loved him and wanted everyone to know it. She never told him that, though. She wasn't sure how he'd take it, and if he blew off her feelings, it would crush her.

He was so sweet and loving—the exact opposite of what everyone thought he was. That first night, she'd seen a brief glimpse of the real man and she'd been hooked. Never in her life did she think he'd give in so easily, but when she kissed him, it was like he let the tension out of his body and he was at peace for once. That was a heady feeling for her. That she could make him hit his knees.

Then it become more so fast. She wanted to talk to him about everything. She'd followed him to the tower when he had watch just so they could sit for hours and visit. He thought she'd come for something else, but she never did. It was a full day of excitement when he had watch just because she knew she'd get to cuddle him and have him tell her things about his past, and she'd do the same.

Slowly, she thought he'd come to feel the same for her. He would never say it, but she could see the way he looked for her first when he came in from a run or the small smile he'd wear when she sang for them.

They had something special. Something that she'd seen her momma and daddy have, and all she had to do was be gentle with him because Daryl needed someone to love him not fight with him.

He wasn't anything like Merle. And sometimes his brother wasn't nearly as bad as he tried to act. She knew Merle was dangerous, but he was also loyal to his brother and proved it on more than one occasion. Then last night happened. She'd seen Daryl kill walkers. She'd seen him try and protect the prison from the governor, but she'd never seen him as untamed as he was fighting Merle.

It had scared her a little, but not for herself. He'd never lay a hand on her. She'd been scared for Merle. That was why she'd been yelling for him to stop. If he'd hurt his brother, he'd have been so upset with himself.

Beth shook her head and stood up. She'd come to her cell after he stormed out because she was emotional and embarrassed by how he'd treated her and she wanted him to hurt, too. It was so immature, and she was kicking herself this morning. She knew better than to treat him like that, especially when he came to her like he had after.

She'd apologize this morning and so would he. He'd tell her he'd do better—and she knew he'd try—and she'd promise to try and keep her hormones in check. Maybe after the baby came, she'd level back out. Beth sighed, placing her hand on her stomach. She was so excited for the baby, and she knew Daryl would be such a good dad even if he didn't. The way he was with Judith and how sweet he was with her when they were alone made her see that.

Beth walked out of her old cell and saw everyone was milling around, fixing breakfast and talking. She avoided their eyes and went straight to the kitchen to get a bowl of oatmeal before going to sit down beside her father.

"Ya all right, Bethy?" he asked when she got situated.

"Yeah. Fine," she answered and took a bite of food.

Conversation continued around her, and she thought about what she'd say to Daryl when she found him after she finished eating. It wasn't unusual that he wasn't there eating with everyone else. He usually spent the early mornings checking the fences or out in the woods checking his traps.

"Hopefully, he'll kill somethin'," Glenn said. "We could use some fresh meat."

"Who?" Beth asked, looking at her brother-in-law.

"Daryl. He left really early this morning to hunt, I guess. He had his pack, so he should be gone a couple of days looking."

Beth's heart dropped to her feet and she nodded, looking down at her bowl. She finished as quickly as she could and then went upstairs to their cell in B. Everything was in place and looked completely the same despite the fact that she and Daryl were in the middle of a fight.

She ran her hand over the bed and walked to Daryl's drawer at the bottom of the wooden dresser he'd moved up for them out of her old cell. She wanted to wear one of his flannels. They fit her better, and she wanted to be closer to him. She shook her head at her own sappiness and sighed. She pulled open the drawer, and Beth's vision clouded with tears when she saw that his other pair of jeans and a few shirts were missing.

Daryl never took clothes on his hunts.

"What did you do?" she whispered to herself and closed the drawer, sitting back on her heels. Her breath started coming faster and she fought to control it with the breathing techniques Michonne had showed her. After a few minutes, she crawled over to the bed and lay down on his pillow.

She'd wait to tell the others, she decided. There wasn't any proof that he'd left. Maybe since it was getting colder, he brought extra clothes in case his others got wet so he wouldn't freeze. If he wasn't back in a few days, she'd go to Merle first.

With a plan in place, she wiped away her tears and straightened her clothes and stood back up.

Everything would be fine.

* * *

Three days later, she was losing hope. He'd never been gone this long before, and everyone was eyeing her closely and carefully avoiding talking about him when she was in the room. She knew that they'd talked about going and looking for him in case something happened because Maggie kept her in the loop. Nothing had been settled yet though.

Beth waited until everyone was asleep before she slipped down to Merle's cell to talk to him. Without much thought she pulled the curtain aside just a little and slipped inside. She wasn't expecting the sight she was met with at all, though, and hastily covered her eyes, whispering, "I'm so sorry! I should have knocked!"

"Fuckin' hell, girl. Ya gotta come down here right as it's about to get good," Merle muttered and she heard him pull on his clothes.

Never in her life would she get the image out of her head of him on his knees with Carol's leg thrown over his shoulder.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered again.

"It's okay," Carol sighed. "Ya can open your eyes now."

Carol sat on Merle's bed wearing one of his shirts, and Merle sat sprawled out in the chair beside the bed in just his pants. Scars littered his chest, and she wondered if some of those were from the same man who had given Daryl his.

"This is awkward," she said quietly.

"No shit," Merle said, shaking his head.

"I won't say a word," she said looking between them.

Merle shrugged. "I don't give a shit if anyone knows. That's up to her. 'Sides, we ain't really together, are we?"

Carol shrugged. "We aren't _not_ together." She looked at Beth. "Our relationship is undefined as of right now. We like each other well enough—sometimes."

Merle smirked and shook his head. "Her and my dick get along great." Carol slapped his shoulder and laughed quietly. "Whatcha want, girl?"

"Daryl isn't comin' back," she whispered, her heart hurting as she said the words. "He took some clothes with him when he left, and he never does that. He's been gone for too long, too."

"Ehhh, not really solid evidence of anythin'." Merle scratched his jaw and looked away.

They were silent for a few seconds before Beth asked, "Could you track him and bring him back?"

Merle met her stare and said, "If Daryl don't wanna be found, ain't no one gonna haul his ass back."

Beth swallowed around the lump in her throat and closed her eyes. "I knew that. I just needed to ask, I guess."

She started to turn around when Merle said quietly, "If he ain't back tomorrow, I'll head out and see what I can find, all right?"

"Thank you," she whispered, and without another word, she left.

She tossed and turned all night, trying to make herself believe he was just on a long hunt and he hadn't disappeared.

* * *

Two days later, she'd all but given up hope he'd come back and Merle had said the trail went cold a couple of miles away from the prison. Everyone else thought maybe something bad had happened, but Beth knew better. She'd finally done it. She'd pushed him too far, and now she was paying the price.

It didn't help that her back had been hurting on and off all day and causing her problems. In the middle of the afternoon, she couldn't take it anymore and excused herself from the kitchen to go lie down. The stairs nearly killed her, and once she was inside their cell, she gripped the bar of the cell door and hunched over in pain.

* * *

Daryl was worn out, but he wasn't about to spend another night away from the prison. He'd been gone too long, and he didn't want anyone sending out a search party for him and end up getting killed.

He shouldn't have left in the first place, he thought as the gate finally came into view. He'd fought with Merle for months to get back here, and then he just walked away because he was scared and a little butt hurt?

He just proved what a stupid fucking idiot he was. Plus, it was dramatic, and he wasn't a dramatic guy. He was embarrassed as hell at his behavior.

Over the last few days, he'd spent a lot of his time thinking about things, and he'd come to several different understandings.

There wasn't no way he was letting another man step into his place. He couldn't do it. Not a chance in hell. Beth was his and so was the baby, and he was theirs. He'd do anything in the world for them. Daryl thought about the course of their relationship and tried to figure out when his feelings for her had changed, when Beth had become this guiding force in his life instead of the sweet girl who'd given herself to him. He wasn't sure that she'd ever just been that sweet girl though.

When he let himself think that, he was surprised at how true it felt. Then, a couple of days later, Daryl let himself put a name to the emotion. He was in love with her. He rubbed his hand over his chest and sighed raggedly. It wasn't pain. It was an overwhelming urge to be near her, to make her happy. He almost started running back to the prison, but he knew he needed to work out more stuff first.

He spent a good amount of time thinking about the prison and his group. They didn't deserve to be left out to dry like he'd done. He had suspicions that someone was taunting walkers, and he just left? He was fucking ashamed of himself and really hoped they wouldn't hold it against him too badly.

He prayed that Merle had been decent while he was gone and held out hope that Carol had kept him in line.

When he reached the gate, Glenn opened it and raced toward him, taking the rabbits out and the squirrels out of his hands.

"We were worried, man," he said and looked over him.

"I'm fine," he said and reached down to drag the deer across the yard.

"Yeah, you've never been gone that long before. I think Beth's had a really hard time with it." Glenn side-eyed him but didn't say anything else.

Daryl's guilt mounted, and he nodded. "I'm back."

He looked up in time to see Merle approach. His brother slung one arm over his shoulder and started walking him to the cellblock away from the others. "I could kick your fuckin' ass," he whispered. "Just gonna leave my ass here?"

Daryl shrugged. "Clean that for me?"

Merle stared at him for a second before nodding.

The whole way through C he was stopped and told how much they'd been worried. Hershel raised an eyebrow at him and shook his head. That made him feel about two inches tall.

"Beth's up in y'all's cell," Carol said after she hugged him. "She was tired."

He took the stairs two at a time and closed the door between B and C behind him quietly. Daryl took three deep breaths before he pulled back the curtain to see Beth standing toward the back of the cell with her hand on the top bunk, leaning over a little.

"Hey," he said, cringing at how stupid he sounded.

Beth turned immediately and looked like she was about to cry. It took him a few steps before he wrapped his arms around her and felt peace settle over him again. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left like I did. I brought back a deer, though, and some other stuff."

"Daryl?"

"I need to tell ya somethin'," he said and pulled back to look into her eyes. "I was gone awhile, I know, and I'm sorry. I was tryin' to do the right thang, and stop makin' your life hell." He cleared his throat. "I came back 'cause I couldn't do it. No matter how right I think it is." She looked away from him. "Beth?" He asked, and when she looked back up at him, her eyes were glassy and her cheeks flushed. "I'm in love with ya. I don't know why it took me so long to see it, and I'm sorry I've been hurtin' ya."

Beth groaned and her fingers dug into his shoulders, causing him to flinch. She was breathing fast and her forehead fell against his chest.

"Well, at least ya know I'm bein' truthful when I say that I love ya, too, 'cause I'm in so much pain right now and it's partly your fault. I think I might castrate you when this is over."

"Holy shit," he whispered. "Are ya in labor? Do ya need someone?"

He tried to pull away. "No, I want _you_. I told ya that before. Just help me through it. I don't want anyone else here."

"Okay," he said, nodding. "Okay."

When the pain passed, she sighed and looked back up. "They're still too far apart, but oh my God, they hurt."

"I'm sorry."

"Ya sure say that a lot," she muttered and stepped back.

He almost said it again but caught himself.

"Promise me that you'll never leave again?" Beth asked quietly as she fidgeted with her shirt.

"I swear to ya," he answered just as quietly and tilted her to face him. "I ain't goin' nowhere. You and me and this baby? We're a family, and we ain't never gonna get separated, ya hear me?"

Beth nodded and wiped away a tear that had fallen down her cheek. "No one knew you'd left. Just me. Mostly 'cause ya took your clothes, but after a few days, I went and talked to Merle." Her cheeks turned red. "Did ya know he and Carol are close?"

"Yeah," he whispered.

She met his gaze and looked hurt. "Oh. Well, yeah, I saw a lot of your brother that I'd really wish to unsee. Carol, too."

Daryl started to chew on his thumbnail and shrugged. "Wasn't my place to say anythin'."

"I tell ya everythin'."

"I ain't a gossip," he said and instantly regretted. "Fuck, I didn't mean for it to sound like that. I just keep fuckin' up."

"You're a good man," Beth said and sat down on the bed. "You're just set in your ways is all."

"Ya want me to tell ya things?"

Beth narrowed her eyes. "If ya don't think I should know, then no, but what's a little pillow talk between lovers?" She tried to smile, but it came out strained.

"All right. I'll share things with ya." He nodded and started rubbing the hair along his chin.

"I hate how awkward this is," she said after several minutes of silence. "I wish things were easy again."

"Like when?" He asked, sitting beside her. "Here, roll over on your side. Let me lay with ya."

After they were settled, she said, "Like at the beginnin'. When it was just us and we were just lovin' and talkin' and happy. Then all the other stuff came and made everythin' tense. I'd push ya and you'd close off. Then ya were gone and the baby and now all this. Maybe if we just didn't have all these expectations, it would be better."

Daryl furrowed his brow and stared at the back of her head as she continued.

"Carol said that she and Merle were undefined. Maybe that's what we should be? Maybe if ya didn't feel boxed in, and I didn't think ya had to be a certain way, we'd work better."

"I'm yours," he whispered.

"And I'm yours," she said and linked their fingers together. "But maybe that's what we leave it at. That way there's no pressure to try and fit into some mold you're not comfortable with."

"I don't want ya with anyone else, and I don't want no one else but you." His voice was rough, and he kissed her neck hard.

"I'm not gonna be with anyone else, Daryl. I love you." She smiled over her shoulder. "You're mine and I'm yours. We're a family."

"Just not like the one ya had growin' up," he muttered.

"And not like yours either," she added. "We'll do our own thang."

"'Cause ya don't think I can handle anythin' more traditional."

"No, because I don't want ya to feel like you've got to meet all these expectations. I don't want ya thinkin' ya owe me a ring and a white picket fence. I only need you. Daryl, do you really love me?"

"Yes," he answered instantly.

"Will ya always care for me and protect me?"

"Ya know I will."

"Will ya be true to me?" She whispered and traced his fingers where they lay on her stomach.

"Yes, songbird," he spoke quietly against her shoulder.

"Will ya ever lay a hand on me or the baby?"

Daryl tensed up and froze. "Never."

Beth brought his hand up to her lips. "I know."

After a few seconds, she said, "Do ya have anythin' ya want to ask me?"

He thought about it for a minute then asked, "Do you really love me? The man ya know I am and not the one I try and be for everyone else?"

"Yes," she answered softly. "I love all of ya. Even the messy parts."

"Will ya promise me that you'll try not to fall in love with someone better?"

"There will only ever be you, Daryl." He felt her smile against the top of his hand, and his chest ached a little.

"Will ya help me be a better person? To be a good dad?"

Beth rolled over and kissed him firmly. "Ya don't need my help with either of those."

Her stomach seemed to harden under his hand and her eyes closed. "Ya okay?"

"Yeah," she said quietly as her forehead scrunched up in pain.

They laid in silence for a long time and finally Beth slipped off to sleep with him holding her. It wasn't until he almost gave in himself that he realized they'd pretty much shared vows. And he didn't mind at all.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15

Thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing! I hope that it lives up to your expectations!

* * *

Their sleep didn't last long.

Beth was restless, tossing and turning before finally giving up and asking him, "Can ya help me stand?"

Daryl stood up and walked to the other side of the bed, and when she was up on her feet, she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and leaned her head against his chest.

"Ya wanna go eat?" he asked her quietly.

"Not right now. Do ya think ya could go grab somethin' in a little while after everyone goes to bed?"

"Yeah, I'll handle it," he said and took a step back, thinking she'd want to walk around, but she just walked forward a step and kept leaning against him, letting him hold up some of her weight.

This went on for a long time, at least in Daryl's mind—the standing and swaying in place while a contraction came and went. She'd dig her fingers into his shoulders or the front of his shirt and groan quietly. When they started coming quicker and lasting longer, she panted against his chest and her sounds of pain got louder. He wondered just how long they'd be able to keep people from noticing, and when he told her that, she'd insisted that he didn't need to get anyone just yet.

Finally, she asked quietly, "Can you take a shower with me?" He fidgeted with her hair and nodded. "Grab me one of your shirts? A long-sleeved one?" Daryl nodded again, stepped away from her, and went to his clothes drawer. He quickly pulled out a flannel shirt that seemed clean enough and something for him to change into and then walked back over to her. She was watching him closely, but he didn't say anything.

Truth was, he was probably the most uncomfortable he'd ever been in his life. He wanted to help her and be there for her, but the way she'd clung to him and the overwhelming responsibility that she was putting on him made him want to cringe away. Nobody had ever found comfort in him before or trusted in him so much. Daryl didn't know what to do or say to make things better for her, and he didn't think there was anything he could really do anyway. Beth wanted his presence, and he gave it—and he was scared shitless.

She led them to the bathroom and started to undress while he turned on the water.

"It's not warm," he muttered. "Ya sure ya wanna get in there?"

Beth nodded and pressed her forehead against the wall as a contraction hit. She reached her hand out blindly behind her, and he grabbed it without thinking. "You're gonna be okay," he whispered.

When it passed, she stepped under the spray and shivered. "C'mon," she said, closing her eyes.

They stayed in the shower for a long time, and Beth seemed to lean more and more against him until he was holding her up completely when she cried out in pain.

"Songbird, we need to get out." He pulled aside the curtain. She didn't say anything at all as she stepped out of the shower. He helped her dry off and dressed her in his shirt. When she was leaning against the wall, he dressed as fast as he could.

"Christ Almighty," she muttered, clutching his arm. A tear rolled down her cheek, and he started to get really anxious.

"Let me get your sister," he whispered. "I don't know what I'm doin'."

"It's not time," she groaned.

"Are ya fuckin' sure? 'Cause ya've been doin' this for a while, and they need to get shit ready, Beth."

"Shut up!" she snapped.

They stared at each other for several seconds, and then she gasped and looked down. "Ya need to get Maggie and Carol now."

He nodded and used his boot to push a towel between her feet, mopping up as much of the liquid as it could. Daryl felt his ears heat up and looked way. "Let me get ya to the bed."

Once she was situated, he took the stairs two at a time down to the bottom level of C. "Maggie?" He knocked against the bars lightly.

"What?" She pulled back the curtain and squinted up at him.

"Beth needs ya."

She looked confused for a split second as she took in his flustered appearance, and then she turned around. "I'm goin' upstairs, Glenn."

"Okay," he said, but Daryl was pretty sure he was still asleep.

"I need to get Carol, okay?"

"Yeah." She waved him off, and he went down the cellblock to Carol's.

He knocked quietly against the bars. "Carol?" Daryl said, pulling the curtain aside. "It's time."

Carol jumped up immediately and yanked on her shoes. Daryl stopped her before she went through the door and asked the question that had been weighing on his mind. "It's too early, ain't it?"

She bit her lip and gave a little nod. "Well, we're not too sure how far along she really is. At best guess we say eight and a half months. It's a little early, but she should be fine. With all the stress she's under, we should have guessed she might get pushed into labor sooner than normal."

Daryl trailed after her feeling like shit at the thought that the stress of leaving her had caused her to have the baby early.

When they walked into the cell, Beth was leaning over with her arms wrapped around Maggie's shoulders, groaning loudly.

"She said her water broke," Maggie said as she looked at Carol.

"That's good," Carol said, walking to her side. "I don't know how we'd have broke it ourselves, so this is a good thang, Bethy."

"I think I'm dyin'," she cried into her sister's hair. "This is bullshit."

"Jesus," Daryl muttered and started chewing on his thumbnail.

Beth turned quickly, and when she saw him she looked relieved. "Ya came back," she whispered. He nodded and looked anywhere but at her eyes. "Hold me up again?"

Even though he wanted to run the other way, he went to her and helped her stand.

"We're goin' to go get some things and be right back," Carol said quickly and pulled Maggie along behind her.

"Ya okay?" Beth asked as he started to sway like he'd done earlier.

"Better than you."

She hummed. "If ya don't feel comfortable, ya can leave. I won't be mad."

He knew it would be easy to walk out and go sit downstairs and wait until it was all over, but he also knew that she liked him around, so he shook his head. "I'm all right."

"Thank you," she said quietly and leaned against him to continue their awkward slow dance.

By the time Carol and Maggie had made it back, Michonne had joined them and Daryl felt even more out of place. All the women were talking about how things were progressing and how she was feeling and what position she was most comfortable in, and he just wanted to chain smoke and chew his fingernails until they bled.

Of course, she said she was most comfortable when he was holding her up, so they motioned for him to get back to work as they situated everything for when it was time. Carol said that she'd told Hershel and Rick that Beth was going to have the baby soon, so not to worry if they heard some screams.

That really didn't make Beth feel good, but he didn't have time to calm her down because soon she was shaking and groaning loudly. It was a state of near-constant pain and he just held her there and felt completely useless.

Michonne gave him a small smile and her eyes shown more sympathy than he'd ever seen before. "It's goin' to be okay, Beth. I promise. This is all how it's supposed to happen."

"I'm gonna be sick." Beth pulled back from his chest and vomited into the small trashcan Michonne handed her. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Daryl pulled out his bandana and handed it to her. "It's okay."

He helped her to the edge of the bed and she sat down, elbows on her knees, as a contraction made her body tense all over. This time she screamed, and the sound chilled him to his fucking core. He'd never heard a sound like that before—the pain she felt must have been ridiculous.

"Beth?" He sat down behind her and wrapped his arms around her chest, rocking them slightly. "Breathe, baby. Remember how to breathe?"

"And ya said I wouldn't have to practice that, remember? I think I might end up stranglin' ya before this is over."

In the same position they'd been in days before, he held her, and this time he led her as she calmed herself back down. He didn't look at anyone else and focused on looking over her shoulder at her stomach, watching it rise and fall with their breaths.

This went on for too long in his opinion, and her cursing and choked screams got worse. Just when he thought she was never going to have a baby, she moaned and pressed her hands to her stomach. "I think I need to go to the bathroom," she whispered. "Help me up?"

He started to stand and Carol shook her head. "What do you mean?"

"Like _go to the bathroom__._" Beth closed her eyes tightly and bit her lip.

"I think you're ready to push," Carol said knowingly. "That's just pressure you're feelin'."

Daryl cleared his throat. "I should prolly head out."

"Please, don't!" Beth shouted, grabbing his hand on her stomach, and she hunched over in pain.

"Okay. Just calm down. I'll be right here."

He was on autopilot as the women told him to cradle her against his chest while they got her legs situated and pushed his shirt up her legs to get a good view. Daryl focused on Beth's hair and fought to keep his breathing steady but failed miserably when Beth started screaming again as she felt another contraction.

"Sonofabitch," he muttered. "How much longer?"

Michonne met his gaze. "It's gonna last as long as it takes,"

Maggie was sitting to Beth's right, holding her free hand, while Carol and Michonne told her to push and stop and start again.

"It hurts! Oh my God, I can't push anymore."

His hands were shaking so hard he had to curl them into fists at her side, genuinely afraid for the first time that night.

"It's almost over," he whispered into her hair and then forced his hands to uncurl and lay over her stomach where her hands were. "Just keep goin' a little longer."

"I'm so tired," she whispered brokenly and turned her head toward him.

"I know." He leaned his forehead against her temple. "C'mon, girl."

He didn't actually see the baby come out or hear what anyone else was saying. His eyes were fixed on Beth's face when it relaxed almost instantly and she closed her eyes. She'd been screaming for hours and hurting worse than anything she'd ever experienced, but as Carol handed up their baby, she was smiling.

* * *

Once they'd gotten Beth fixed up and the baby cleaned, the other women had quietly exited the cell, leaving them alone.

"I'm gonna try and feed her," Beth whispered and unbuttoned the flannel shirt she was still wearing.

Daryl sat off the side with his back against the wall as he watched their little girl root around and finally latch on to Beth's nipple.

"Ow, damn," Beth muttered. "That hurts."

Daryl snorted and shook his head in complete disbelief. Thirty minutes ago, there'd been nothing but yelling and crying in this room, and now it was silent and peaceful.

From the moment he'd heard her cry after she was born, he'd been struck dumb. She was precious and tiny and perfect. Little toes and fingers and this cute little button nose that looked like Beth's. She had a ton of white-blond hair and dark blue eyes.

All of a sudden it hit him—Daryl Dixon was in awe for the first time in his life.

"She's so beautiful," Beth whispered, tracing a finger over her cheek.

"She is," he answered just as softly, not taking his eyes off the baby.

"Did ya think it was a girl? I figured Dixons only made boys," she teased him.

"Naw, we don't need no more of them in this world. Me and Merle are enough." He walked to the bed to sit down beside her.

"Thank you," she said, turning his way. "I know I asked ya to do things that ya weren't exactly comfortable with."

"No place I'd rather be," he said quietly, truthfully, and smiled down at his daughter.

_His daughter._

His chest felt heavy, and he swallowed past the lump in his throat. "Whatcha wanna name her?"

Beth smiled and peeked up at him. "Do ya have any favorites?"

"Naw," he answered and smirked up at her. "Wasn't somethin' I ever dreamed about."

"Are ya happy?"

The question caught him off guard, and he paused for a moment, weighing his words. "More than you could ever know." His voice was barely above a whisper as he looked into Beth's eyes.

She bit her lip. "What do ya think about _Odessa_?"

He nodded. "I like it." He reached out to touch the baby's hand. "Odessa."

"I think it's pretty, too," Beth said and switched the baby to the tit that was closest to him. "Odessa Kate Dixon."

"Kate?" he asked, quirking an eyebrow and trying to play down his nervousness at hearing her give the baby his last name.

"I've always liked it."

He shrugged and stared down at the baby, who'd fallen asleep. "Can I hold her for a bit?"

"Of course." Beth handed her off to him, and when her hands were free, she cupped his cheek and turned him to face her. Her lips were soft on his and his heart sped up. "I love you."

Daryl's vision clouded with tears, and instead of turning away from her, he laid himself bare at her feet. "I love you, Beth, and I love her so much already. I didn't know I could feel this full or scared. I'm terrified."

Beth wrapped her arms around him and they stayed like that for a minute, silently giving each other strength. Finally, he stood up and started walking the baby around the room.

He looked over at Beth after a few minutes and saw she was asleep. "I'm gonna keep ya safe," he whispered. His eyes felt heavy and he realized he probably hadn't slept in twenty-four hours, so he lay down on the bed beside Beth and rested Odessa on his chest, keeping one hand on her back, feeling the steady rise and fall of her breaths as he drifted off to sleep.

* * *

He woke up a little while later when the baby started moving around on his chest and crying.

Daryl sat up and patted her back. "Shhh, baby girl. It's okay."

Beth rolled over and blinked up at them, smiling. "Maybe she's hungry?"

"So am I," he said and cleared his throat. "Bet you are, too."

"Yeah," she said quietly and held her hands out for the baby. "I'll let her nurse, and maybe you can go grab us somethin' to eat?"

Daryl nodded and stood up, stretching his back. "I'll be right back."

When he stepped out of the cell and into the hall, he wondered just how long they'd slept and how long Beth had been in labor. It must have lasted all night—maybe the baby was born early in the morning. The sun was high in the sky, so maybe it was lunchtime? He hoped to avoid as many people as possible but knew that wouldn't always work out. It was one thing for Beth to see him soft; it was another completely for anyone else to see it.

"Daryl?" Hershel's voice cut through his thoughts, and he turned toward where he was sitting at the table. "How's she doin'?"

"Good." He started to walk to the kitchen, but Hershel stood and stopped him.

"Well, how's my grandchild? No one would really tell us anythin' after they came back down. Said that Beth wanted to be the one to announce everythin'."

"Don't know nothin' about that," he said and shrugged. "Baby's fine, though. She's nursing right now, and I'm bringin' Beth somethin' to eat."

"I have a granddaughter?" Hershel smiled brightly at him.

"Yeah." Daryl scrubbed a hand over his jaw. "A little girl. Odessa. That's what Beth wants to call her. Ya can go up there and see her."

"I'll wait until she's done feedin' her."

"Okay." Daryl went into the kitchen and made a plate of leftover deer big enough for both of them and a bowl of the stew that someone had made the night before that was simmering on the stove.

He tucked a newly refilled water bottle into his back pocket and left the kitchen, walking right past Hershel and the others who had gathered around asking him questions.

Daryl nodded at them when they said his name, but he didn't stop. He breathed a sigh of relief as he shut the door between the cellblocks and walked into the cell. Beth and Odessa were still how they were when he left, so he set the food down on top of the bedside table and moved to the baby drawer.

"Ya wanna pick her out somethin' to wear?"

Beth looked down at Odessa and smiled. "Yeah. If she's gonna meet her family today, she needs somethin' better than this little shirt and blanket."

Daryl rolled the dresser over to her, and after she finished nursing the baby, she handed her to him and started looking through the dresser.

Odessa had her eyes open and was staring straight up at him. "Hey, there," he whispered and held her up closer to his face, studying her. "Ya look like your momma."

"I can see ya, too," Beth said and kept digging through the clothes he'd found. "Her eyes are shaped like yours. I hope they change to your color."

"Change?" he asked, smiling down at his little girl.

"Yeah, they'll lighten up some as she gets older."

"Huh. Well, I think you're perfect," he said quietly.

There was a soft knock on the bars, and they both turned toward the door as Beth said, "Come on in."

Hershel slipped inside and looked over at Beth before turning to Daryl and looking at Odessa in his arms.

"Let me see that grandbaby," he said happily and held out his arms. Daryl walked across the room and gently passed off Odessa before backing up against the cell wall and chewing on his lower lip.

"She's beautiful, Bethy," he whispered. "Look at all that hair."

"She's precious," Beth agreed. She pulled out a small pink dress with white flowers all over it and turned to Daryl. "What about this?"

"Looks nice," he said and nodded before looking away. "I think I'll head down and see if there's anythin' I need to do."

"Ain't ya gonna eat?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow.

Daryl shifted a little and nodded and walked to the dresser with the food and quickly picked up a handful of strips. Beth gave him an understanding smile, and he started for the door, but not before stopping by Odessa and brushing his fingers over her cheek.

"She's somethin' else, ain't she?" Hershel asked him.

Daryl nodded. "Yeah. She's pretty damn perfect."

He could feel their eyes on him as he left the cell, but he just kept going. He went down the stairs in B, out the side door to avoid everyone else, and around the back of the prison.

When he was sure he was alone, he slid down the building, bringing his knees to his chest and hugging them to himself. It was cooler today than before and the temperature would keep dropping. He worried about Odessa getting too cold and getting sick, but decided pretty fast that he'd go on another run soon and get some more baby blankets and look for jackets.

Daryl ate the deer meat quickly, and when he was done, he let out a deep breath and watched as it misted in front of him in the chilly air. Beyond the fence were slowly approaching walkers and dense Georgia forest. He chewed on his bottom lip and worked down the panic that was swelling within him.

They needed to reinforce the fence and add stakes and pits to the yard all around the prison. He had to figure out the best ways to protect his family and his group, and he only had a few short months to do it.

He'd handle it, though. He'd never had more of a reason to get to work than that little girl and her momma inside the prison behind him.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

Thank you, Jen, for editing this! And thank you so much to everyone who is reading and reviewing!

I treated last chapter like you would a season finale. In this chapter, we jump ahead a little in time.

* * *

The winter months passed quickly, mostly due to the amount of work Daryl put in every single day to make sure they would be protected during the summer. The fences were reinforced with steel poles that he and Merle had stolen from some construction site a few hours away, and they'd dug several huge pits about fifty yards in front of the fence around the entire prison with a backhoe they'd found at a nearby farm.

Rick, Carl, Tyreese, and Bob had found wood and created spikes to put in front the fence to keep the walkers from pushing on it too much, too. They also spent a good bit of time in the tombs with Sasha and Maggie, making sure each door was chained and locked to keep out any stragglers that had been in the basement.

Michonne had been single-handedly doing runs for them most of the time, but sometimes Carol would go with her if she wanted to get out, and Beth reassured her repeatedly that she and Hershel could handle the children.

They'd added five people to their group over the course of the winter, too—a husband and wife with two kids, and a woman Michonne had saved from a couple of assholes outside Macon. The kids got along good with the other little ones, and the two women helped out a lot in the kitchen and with laundry. Neither one of them had a stomach for fence duty, but no one forced them. The man was decent enough, Daryl figured. He didn't spend a lot of time around him, but he had been a nurse before the turn, so he was happy to have him, especially with Odessa around.

That's where a lot of his time was spent—with his family. When he wasn't working, he had Odessa with him. If Beth needed to take a shower or eat, he'd walk around, talking to her or—if no one was nearby—singing some song Beth had made up that she seemed to love. It was about animals and had funny noises that would make her laugh. Daryl liked knowing that he could make her happy.

She was a great baby, too, but sometime around three months, she started screaming when anyone but he and Beth had her. He didn't really think anything about it. He liked holding her, and Beth wore her in that sling he'd found at the baby store wherever she went. They loved that little girl beyond words.

Carol said she was spoiled and laughed at him when he'd quickly take her away from whoever had tried to hold her.

"She ain't spoiled," he'd mutter and hold her close to him. "Ain't no reason to let her cry, though. She ain't happy, so ya gotta make her happy."

Carol smiled and shook her head. "You and Beth are absolutely precious. It makes my heart melt at how y'all are with her."

He had to admit that he felt the same way when he sat down and watched Beth with her, too. It made him so damn proud to see them together or when Beth would sing her sleep at night. That woman had chosen _him_ and given him a family, and he made sure she knew just how much he loved her.

Daryl still wasn't comfortable with displaying affection around the group, but on their own, he was always touching her, kissing her. Beth and Odessa were his entire world, and he wanted to slap himself silly for ever thinking he could've walked away from them.

Over the past couple of weeks the weather had been getting nice, so he would take Odessa outside and lay her on a blanket on the grass and sit with her. Most of the time, Beth joined them, but sometimes it was just him and his baby girl. They both really liked being outside, and that made him even happier to be able to share that with her—even if she was so young.

She'd roll over, and he'd tell how good she was doing. And she'd giggle when he clapped. Lately, Beth had been trying to get her to sit up on her own, and she was making progress, but she was only five months old, so they still had a little time. Or, at least, that's what Beth had told him.

His favorite thing was when she'd try and give him and Beth kisses on the cheek. They were terrible, slobbery, open-mouthed kisses, but he was pretty sure he was grinning like a fool when she did it.

He'd just finished inspecting the fence and looking out over the stakes when he started back inside for the afternoon. A downside to the nice weather was they'd had a lot more walkers. Most had fallen into the pits, and the rest were impaled on stakes. Only one had managed to get past all the traps, and he'd been put down pretty fast by Sasha a few days before. Still, more walkers made him twitchy.

Daryl opened to the door to C and immediately heard Beth's voice. "Merle Dixon, I've told ya more than once not to hold my baby with that knife on your hand!"

"Don't be such a bitch. I ain't gonna hurt her." His brother's rough voice cut through the air, and he automatically bristled at his tone. It had become Merle's default voice over the last few weeks, and he hated the fucking sound.

"I'm her momma, and I say if you're wearin' the knife, ya can't hold her. Now, hand her over."

"How Darla puts up with your naggin' ass I'll never know," Merle muttered as Daryl walked into the room.

"Ya need to watch your fuckin' mouth when ya talk to her," he said, shooting Merle a glare. "We done talked about this." He nodded at his knife.

"Whatever." Merle scoffed and walked away. "Fuckin' pussywhipped asshole."

"Yeah, well, at least I'm still getting' pussy, ya fuckin' idiot," Daryl said loudly enough for Merle to hear, and he flipped him off over his shoulder.

"Carol's still not talkin' to him?" Beth asked as she rocked Odessa on her hip.

"Hell nah," he said then leaned down and kissed her softly. "I missed ya," he whispered against her lips. "Wanna go lay out with baby girl in a minute?"

Beth hummed and smiled. "Absolutely. Why don't y'all go ahead and let me finish up lunch? I'll meet ya."

Daryl kissed her again, slower this time, letting his fingers twine into her ponytail. "Love ya, songbird. See ya in a bit," he whispered and pulled away. "Gimme my girl," he said and reached out for Odessa, who immediately held her hands out to him. "There she is," he whispered as he cuddled her to his chest and nuzzled her hair.

"Ya look so good with her," Beth said with a smile.

"Makes ya wanna drop to your knees?" he whispered, smirking the whole time.

"Somethin' like that." She shook her head. "Head on out, and maybe during naptime we can see what we can squeeze in…" Beth bit her lip.

"Yes, ma'am," he said in that low, husky voice he knew she loved.

The blush that stained her cheeks let him know he'd done the right thing, and he turned with Odessa to go back outside, thankful that everyone seemed to be doing their own thing for once instead of crowding around the kitchen. He didn't get to flirt with Beth all that often outside their cell, and he really liked to see her flustered.

He picked up a blanket out of Beth's old cell and made his way outside and to the side of the prison. He nodded at Hershel along the way as the old man sat down at a picnic table, reading and enjoying the warmer weather.

Hershel hadn't necessarily come around over the winter, but he seemed to have gained a grudging respect for Daryl after all the work he'd put in and how he'd been with Beth and Odessa. He still didn't speak to Daryl unless it involved council business, though, and Daryl didn't really mind all that much. He wasn't a talker anyway.

Daryl was happy he'd mended his relationship with Beth, though. Since the day Odessa had been born, Hershel was around his granddaughter a lot. Even when she went through her screaming phase, he'd still try and hold her and calm her down. Some days it worked—most days it didn't—but Daryl saw a bit of softness in his eyes whenever he took Odessa from him and she quieted right down, cuddled into his chest, and fell asleep.

That was one thing Hershel would never have to worry about. He'd make sure his girls were taken care of and as happy as they could be in this shitty world.

After he laid out the blanket as best he could with one hand, he sat down and laid Odessa down beside him. He straightened the corners of the blanket and then moved her to sit up between his legs.

"Now, baby girl, ya gotta get some balance," he whispered and Odessa screeched loudly as he tickled her side.

They stayed like that for a while, him balancing her hips and her babbling or trying to chew on her own fingers. She was starting to teethe and she drooled constantly.

Beth finally came out and kissed his cheek as she sat down. She had no problem being affectionate with him, but she kept it simple if there were people around because she knew he was still getting used to things like that.

"Got held up with Carol," she whispered. "She wants to know if she should talk to Merle, and I told her that she needed to talk to you. She's worried about how he's been actin' since it all happened. I don't know him well enough to answer that, ya know?"

"Oh yay. That's just what I wanna do today," he said sarcastically, pulling her ponytail.

Truth was, he was worried about Merle. Sure, he'd been helping him get things settled better around the prison, but over the winter, he'd separated himself a lot more, too.

There were times when Merle would hold Odessa and proudly carry her around, telling her all sorts of shit as he pointed out stuff inside and outside the prison. Daryl watched him with a small grin when he'd ball up her tiny hand into a fist and pretend to make her hit his chin. Odessa would laugh and Merle would smile this dopey ass grin that any other time Daryl would have given him shit over, but since it was Odessa that he was playing with, Daryl laughed, too.

Other times, when Daryl was holding Odessa, he'd seen Merle look at him like he wasn't really sure who his brother was anymore. Like he'd softened, like he couldn't figure out how Daryl had become something so different from everything they'd been and known. It bothered him, but at the same time, he knew he wasn't the man he'd been before the world went to shit. He wasn't even the same man he'd been when Merle had gotten handcuffed to the roof.

It was times like that when he imagined Merle felt like a caged animal—the way Daryl used to—and was trying to find a way out of the situation he'd gotten himself in. Daryl sighed and shook his head. The shit with Carol had pushed him over an edge that Daryl was scared Merle couldn't come back from.

It wasn't even that he loved Carol. It was just that she was the only real comfort he had in this world. It was probably a good bit of Daryl's fault, too, for not seeking him out when he started to get worried, but he was just so wrapped up in his own stuff he didn't think too much about it before it blew up.

"Well, he's your brother." Beth's statement pulled him out of his thoughts.

He nodded. "He ain't gonna hit her, if that's what she's worried about. He acted stupid, got riled up over shit, and said some stuff that he prolly shouldn't have."

Beth huffed out a breath, and said, "He told her that she was makin' those girls soft, and that's what got her daughter killed, Daryl. She has every right to be pissed off. Then he pushed her into desk in her cell."

"He said she was gettin' in his face. He pushed her. He didn't raise his hand to her." Daryl ignored the part about Sophia and all the feelings that drug up for him. It had been shitty of Merle to obviously use something she'd confided in him against her, but that was what Merle did. "He ain't gonna do it again, and he said he's sorry."

"Is he sorry 'cause he means it or 'cause he thinks it's expected of him."

Daryl shot her a hard look and shook his head. "Listen, he ain't gonna apologize for what he said. He thinks he's tryin' to help her out in the long run, so she'll harden up and so will those girls. He's sorry that he pushed her, and he ain't gonna do it again. Damn, it ain't like he left marks on her."

"Would you shove me?"

Daryl looked out of the corner of his eye at her. "Ya know I wouldn't. I might punch a fuckin' wall, but I ain't gonna lay a hand on ya. Me and Merle are different, though. He don't think he done nothin' wrong by it. Didn't hurt her, but he knows he's done fucked up."

"Tell Carol that."

"Won't make no difference what I say, Beth. She's experienced shit worse than this, and ya know how it started? Prolly with a little push, then a quick slap, and then a right across her jaw. She ain't gonna get in that cycle again."

Beth looked down at Odessa's hand in hers. "So they're just over?"

Daryl shrugged. "For now they are. He'll have to do somethin' to prove he ain't a total asshole, and not somethin' easy like apologizin' and sayin' it won't ever happen again. She's heard that shit before."

"Are ya worried about him? He seems off lately, ya know?"

"He's how he's always been," Daryl muttered, trying to downplay his true feelings. There wasn't any use in Beth getting worried, too. "For a while there, he was tryin', but ya can't make yaself somethin' ya ain't. Our old man used to say, 'Ain't nothin' sadder than an outdoor cat that thinks he's an indoor cat.' I think he's getting sick of playin' house."

"Ya think he'll leave?" Beth asked, leaning her head on his shoulder.

"I think he'll try and stir up shit is what I think." With a sigh, Daryl kissed the top of her head, completely worn out thinking about his brother.

Beth nudged his shoulder and whispered, "If our child's first word is a curse, I'm gonna strangle you, Daryl Dixon."

He barked out a short laugh, causing Odessa to jump and turn her head to look up at him, along with Hershel and Rick, who were in the yard near them.

He felt his cheeks heat up, and he looked down. She could always sense when he needed a break from all the seriousness. "Ain't gonna make no promises," he said quietly. "I'll try and tone it down."

"Ehhh." Beth shrugged. "We got more important things to worry about, but let's try and keep her language babyish for now."

Beth lay back on the blanket with one hand on his leg and one behind her head and closed her eyes.

"Sing for us?" he asked as he laid Odessa between them and laid back just like her.

Later, when he woke up, Beth and Odessa were curled together as close to him as they could get. He kissed the baby's head and went to close his eyes when he caught movement from beside him.

Hershel stood over him and nodded toward Beth and Odessa. "I can take her for ya and put her down in her crib for a little while until y'all are ready for her."

Daryl squinted and scratched his jaw. "If ya want to," he said with a shrug.

"I do." He smiled down at his granddaughter and waited for Daryl to hand her over. Daryl leaned over to pick up Odessa, and when he stood up and handed her to Hershel, she whined a little.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh, baby girl," Daryl said. "You're all right. Pop's got ya now."

Hershel just nodded and walked back to the cellblock, never really looking him in the eye through it all. Daryl hoped that one of these days things would get easier between them.

He leaned down and shook Beth's shoulder lightly. "C'mon girl, let's go inside and nap."

She sighed but didn't wake up. She was worn completely out with all the working and taking care of Odessa she'd been doing. Instead of trying to wake her up, he slid one arm under her shoulders and the other under her knees and picked her up. He carried her across the yard to their block, pretending not to notice the eyes of the others that followed him briefly before turning back to their work.

Once they were in their cell, he laid her down on the bed, kicked off his boots, and lay down beside her.

Their nap didn't last too much longer, though. Soon, Merle was banging against the cell bars with a piece of rebar, taunting him from behind the curtain.

"Ya've had enough beauty sleep, princess. Get your ass up and help me light up these pits."

Daryl groaned and squeezed Beth to him. "Love ya. See ya later, girl."

"I'm gonna get up to. 'Dessa needs to nurse."

He slid his hands up to cup her tits and nodded against her shoulder. "Sure does. Bet you're hurtin'."

She slapped his hands away and stood up with a laugh. "Ya just wanna feel me up."

"Guilty." He smirked and tugged on his boots.

"Any day now," Merle said, sounding just like their father, and slammed the rebar against the cell door again.

"Fuck off, dickhead," Daryl muttered.

He kissed Beth and then picked up his bow before heading out and following Merle outside and into the yard.

They poured kerosene over the full pits of walkers and threw matches down, watching as they all burned up. Normally, they wouldn't have caused such a sight, but if more walkers came, they'd just fall in the pits; they'd done it before.

If people followed the smoke, it showed they were stupid or looking for trouble. Daryl figured if you made it this long, you knew what to avoid and smoke or fire? That was a sure sign that walkers were close by it. If people went searching for the source, they were up to something—in his opinion, at least.

Rick kept insisting they ask the same three questions when new people came upon them, but Daryl didn't really think that was a good way to guess a person's motives. People lied all the time. Hell, Merle would sell their grandmother—if she were still alive—if he thought it would save his own ass.

They'd cleared the pits and gotten rid of any walkers on the stakes before Merle finally said, "So, I fucked up."

"Yeah," Daryl mumbled and kept his eyes on his boots.

"Ya think I can I fix it?"

Daryl narrowed his eyes at him and shrugged. "No way of really knowin', I don't guess. Ya mean it when ya say you're sorry?"

Merle leaned back against the fence, pulled out a pack of cigarettes, and handed them off to Daryl. It had been a while since he'd had one, and he figured as long as he didn't do it around the baby, he'd be okay.

When Merle didn't respond, and the silence got long and awkward, Daryl said, "When I fucked up with Beth, I told her I was sorry and that I loved her."

Merle cast him a glare from the corner of his eye. "Ya goin' soft on me, ain't ya?"

"No," he said and took a drag from the smoke. Obviously, he'd said the wrong thing, so he went a different direction with it. "I'll kill anybody that comes in here lookin' for trouble, and I'll make it last a whole lot longer if they try and touch either one of my girls." He scoffed and shook his head. "I ain't soft. I'm a different kind of killer now." His voice was quiet and sure.

Merle looked off into the woods. "I'd string up a sonofabitch by his ballsack if they ever laid a finger on that baby."

Daryl nodded and they stood there in silence, finishing their cigarettes. He started chewing on his thumbnail as he tried to come up with something to say to Merle. Finally, he just decided to talk about more work.

"Figure we should get some T-posts and some barbed wire," Daryl said and pointed to the areas between the stakes in the ground. "Put little fences up between 'em to try and keep the walkers from makin' it to the main fence."

"Workin's startin' to get old. We've been doin' nothin' else for months."

"I know, but I worry about when it starts getting hotter. It's about the end of March or beginning of April now, I figure, and in another month or so, the walkers are gonna be gettin' their energy back."

Merle hummed in response. It probably wasn't the best thing to say to him, but Daryl was at a complete loss at what to say when it came to his situation. And he didn't know how to bring him back from the edge he was at, because he hadn't saved himself to begin with. Beth had started that process and then Odessa had finished it.

Daryl looked over at his brother, seeing that he was miles away in thought, and continued on, "We'll go in the mornin'. That farm we took the backhoe from had some barbed wire, and if it ain't got T-posts, there's that hardware store in Newnan that ain't too far."

As they walked back to the cellblock a little while later, Merle shrugged and said, "I think I'll try to apologize again."

"Worth a shot," Daryl said quietly, eyeing his brother the whole time.

As Merle started to walk away, Daryl stopped him by placing his hand on his shoulder. "Hey, man," he said quietly.

Merle eyed him warily. "What?"

Daryl shrugged and looked away before back up at him and gripping him bow strap. "Just want my brother back is all."

Eyes so similar to each other held for several seconds before Merle looked away and made a gruff scoffing sound. "Stop that shit," he muttered and walked away, leaving Daryl to stand there, feeling a weight he wasn't sure what to do with settle in his chest.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch. 17

Thank you, Jen, for editing this, and to everyone who is reading and reviewing the story.

* * *

Beth woke up earlier than Daryl for once and managed to slip to the bathroom and back again without him noticing. They'd have to get moving soon if he was going out on a run with Merle. She'd told him the night before that they probably didn't need the extra fences, but he wouldn't change his mind.

He was such a stubborn person once he got his mind set, but she wouldn't have him any other way.

She'd seen such a drastic change in him since Odessa had been born, and most of the time, she couldn't believe he was the same man she'd gone to that first night. Daryl would whisper that he loved her or tell her she was beautiful or that she was a good momma whenever he felt the urge. She'd never felt so appreciated and valued in her life than in the moments he'd wrap his arms around her and speak quietly into her hair so no one else would hear.

He wasn't as cautious with her anymore, either. He'd touch her when they were around the others, not so much that they'd notice, but she did. He'd steal quick kisses outside their cell or right before they went out on runs—even if the others could see. And the way he looked at her left her breathless. He stared at her like she was the center of his world, and he treated Odessa like a treasure. She was his little girl, and Beth had to hide tears several times over how he was with her, especially that first time she'd heard him singing for her.

God bless his heart, he couldn't carry a tune in a bucket, but Odessa smiled and watched him with rapt attention. He made all the crazy noises that she liked, not caring one bit that it made him look silly.

Beth was so in love with that man.

He'd worked tirelessly, out in the cold, to make their home safe. Everyone knew there were things they needed to do, and they had made plans to get some of it accomplished, but Daryl had lit a fire under all their butts and got things moving at a much faster pace. He'd leave before Odessa was awake and get back to their cell after dinner, but every second he had to spare, he was with them or if they were outside where he was working. He always seemed to know exactly where they were.

Before the world went to hell, she'd always thought she get married one day, have kids, live on a farm near her daddy, and serve sweet tea on the front porch after dinner. Then everything happened and she lost that for a long time. There was no hope for her until she took charge of Judith's care. She saw a future in that little girl, and that pushed her to follow her desires again—right into Daryl's cell.

It was the best decision she'd ever made.

She might not have the life she imagined, but she had all the important things. Beth had a family that loved her, and a man who would gladly lay down his life for her and their child. She'd do the same for them, but she prayed it would never come to that.

Daryl thought that she'd given him a new lease on life, but he didn't understand that he'd done the same for her. He made her feel strong, useful, desired. The trust he put in her made her believe she could survive in this new world.

As she stepped into their cell, she looked over at his sleeping form sprawled across the bed, and she smiled. He was such a good-looking man, but when he was relaxed, he was gorgeous.

Beth walked to her side of the bed, gently lifted one side of the pack-n-play, and rolled Odessa across the cell. When she got back to Daryl's side, Beth leaned over, kissed his jaw up to his ear, and whispered, "Wake up, babe."

He hummed and wrapped his arm around her back, pulling her down to meet his lips.

"She asleep?" he asked in a sleep-roughened voice.

Beth nodded into another kiss before pulling back. "She'll be out for a while longer. It's still pretty early."

"Come 'ere, then, songbird."

She giggled quietly and fell across his chest. "What ya got goin' on in that brain of yours?"

He gripped the hem of her shirt and pulled it up and over her head.

"If we got time, and we can be quiet, we can make this day nothin' but a win for both of us."

"Ain't every day a win for you since ya already have us?" She smirked and kissed across his bare chest as his hands traced along her sides and up to her full breasts.

"I'm livin' a dream in a nightmare, girl."

Beth smiled up at him before pushing his hands away, and scooting down between his legs, she tugged off his jeans and boxers.

"Well, in that case, ya just lay back and enjoy."

Daryl looked down at her with heavy-lidded eyes that had nothing to do with just waking up. He looked almost predatory as she kneeled between his legs.

"Ya sure she'll stay asleep?"

"Yeah, we'll be fine."

He nodded once and leaned back against the pillow with an arm behind his head, watching her as she kissed across his stomach, pausing at the scar his arrow had caused while they'd lived at the farm, before making her way lower.

"Damn, girl," he muttered.

They'd learned over the last few months that quiet was good when it came to their alone time. It seemed that was always the case since they lived in such close quarters, but now it was especially true since the baby was always sleeping across the room.

Beth wondered what it would be like if they could be as loud as they wanted to be, but she figured they'd be so used to quietly expressing their pleasure that it would always be like that.

Didn't mean it didn't get rough or passionate. Biting or a punishing grip replaced screams and loud moaning. Hickeys were her favorite to give him, and since they weren't hiding anymore, sometimes she'd leave 'em on the side of his throat or his collarbone.

He didn't want to make out in front of anyone, and that was fine with her, but he loved marks. Lately, he'd taken to leaving little ones of his own around her shoulders. Not to mention the fingerprint shaped bruises she had on her hips most of the time.

Beth flicked her tongue out over the head of his dick, and he fisted the sheets with his free hand before sliding it over and into her hair as she took him deep.

She worked him over, doing all the little things she knew he loved. Sucking just on the head, licking up the underside of him, flicking that little ridge of skin under the tip.

He started thrusting up to meet her, taking his hand from behind his head and threading it through her hair, too.

"Take all of it," he growled lowly. A few hard thrusts and she was leaning away, trying to catch her breath. His laugh was low and gravely before he asked, "Ya gonna gag, girl?"

For some reason she hadn't quite figured it out yet, he liked it when she choked a little on him. It usually meant that sex was about to be hard and fast, too, which she loved. Beth just figured he needed to let go completely every once in a while, and she was happy to be on the receiving end of his stress relief.

Daryl pushed her head down all the way the next time, and she choked on him, coughing as quietly as she could, and when he did it again, she pushed against his legs to pull back.

"Fuck yes," he whispered, gripping her under her arms and pulling her up. He took her lips in a brutal kiss. "Lay on your stomach."

She sucked his bottom lip between hers and began to slide off of him, ending the kiss in a gasp as he bit down softly.

"This okay?" he asked, tracing his hand down her back, slipping between her thighs, and sinking a finger into her center.

"Yes," she whimpered and turned into the pillow, groaning, as he began to work her slowly, adding another finger as she grew wetter around him.

"Can't be loud." She tilted her hips up just a little to give him more room. "Naw, on your stomach. I'm gonna fuck ya into this bed. I've missed that—coverin' ya up. Makin' it where you can't do nothin' but take what I give ya."

His hand spanned her lower back and pressed her down before lying over her, kissing and sucking on the back of her shoulders. Daryl shuffled his knees a little between her legs to force hers further apart, and then he gathered both wrists in one hand and pulled them over her head.

She lay motionless, waiting for what was coming next, and shivered as his breath tickled her throat.

"Ya ready?" he asked, lining them up. Beth nodded against the bed and wiggled against him, causing him to laugh lowly.

When he pushed all the way inside, he dropped his head to her shoulder. "Shit," he muttered before letting his weight rest on her and pulling back a little.

Daryl bit down gently on her shoulder and groaned before he started moving again. He went slow and hard, and she couldn't move or even focus. Every bit of her was covered by him, all she felt, heard, smelled and tasted was Daryl. It was torture not to be able to wrap her legs around him, but she knew what he needed, and today, he needed absolute control.

Her legs tingled and her stomach clenched each time he bottomed out, forcing her hips against the mattress hard. One hand that was clutching her wrists moved down to her hip and he resumed kissing across her back, whispering against her skin. She couldn't tell what he was saying, but judging by how forceful his movements were, she'd bet he'd make a whore blush.

Even with being so close to coming apart, her breasts started hurting something terrible from being pinned to the mattress. She twined her fingers with his above her head after a little tugging and turned her head. "Daryl, stop please?" She cringed right after she said it. He'd he thrust into her hard and rested his chest against her back, causing her to press further into the bed.

She hated that he'd seen her face tense up, but he pulled back immediately, separating them and rolling her over in what seemed like one motion. "Fuck, did I hurt ya?" He eyes were wide as they searched her face. He'd overreact, she was sure. She was made of glass to him, and when he gave in like this and really let go, he always acted a little embarrassed afterward. But if he thought he hurt her? He'd be so upset with himself.

"Not really," she whispered and touched his cheek. "Just can't really lay down on the girls that hard anymore, at least not right now, ya know?"

It was like a light went off behind his eyes, and he shook his head. "Damn, I'm sorry. I bet that fuckin' hurt. Wasn't even thinkin'." He muttered more choice words about himself under his breath as he cupped her breasts together. It did feel better that way, and the pain all but vanished when he traced his tongue around each of her nipples before softly sucking them into his mouth.

Beth tangled her fingers in his hair and gasped. "It's okay. Just keep doin' that."

She felt his lips smile against her. "Yeah?"

"Yes." She arched up to his mouth since he'd pulled away just a little.

He apologized profusely to each nipple, and she laughed when he actually said the words to them , but then stopped all together when he kissed down her stomach and lifted her legs over his shoulders.

"Ya got the prettiest pussy I ever seen," he said as he leaned his head against her thigh and used his index finger to circle her clit.

"I hope ya don't think that's sexy to say to me." She tried to lace her voice with sarcasm, but it was useless since he'd replaced his finger with his tongue. "It's not like you were a gynecologist before this."

Daryl laughed against her leg before he raised back up over her, kissing her softly. "How the hell do you know?"

Beth raised an eyebrow and wrapped her legs around his waist. "Just call it a hunch."

He bowed his head to hide that half grin she loved, and she reached out and turned him to face her again. "I love ya even if ya say stuff without thinkin' first."

"Thank God for that."

Right as he was about to sink back into her, he pulled back. "Condom," he said softly. "Don't want no little Daryls running around." He turned away, quietly opened the bedside drawer, pulled out a foil square, and ripped it open before rolling it on.

She gasped as he ran the tip of his dick over her. "You're still so wet," he said in a disbelieving tone.

"Daryl, it was uncomfortable; it doesn't mean that it didn't feel good everywhere else."

"I'ma have ya feelin' really good here in a minute," he said as he slid back home. "Good Lord, woman."

His grip on her hips stung, but she lifted her hips to meet him, wanting more. Before long, he sat back on his heels and pulled her with him. Beth wrapped her arms around his neck as she bounced on his lap, and his hands gripped her bottom.

"Ya close?" he asked raggedly, dropping his head on her shoulder. They were starting to make too much noise—she knew it and so did he. The closer he got, the sloppier he got, and he wasn't being nearly as quiet as he had been. She loved those grunts and groans he made against her skin, though. The vibration alone made her stomach clench.

Beth nodded, turning her head to the side and kissing his temple. Daryl pulled back right away and brought his hand to her jaw, kissing her hard and pushing his tongue against hers. She loved kissing him, loved the way he panted against her lips when he was about to fall apart.

He dragged his other hand down to where they were joined and circled her clit, pressing down hard. Within a minute, she was gasping into their kiss and writhing on his lap as she came around him.

"That's it," he groaned. "Fuck yes, girl." His hand went back to her hips, and he leaned forward and laid her down on her back. He slowed down a little and leaned over her body, kissing the corner of her mouth and her jaw. She could almost see the way his ears pinked when he asked, "Can I come on ya?"

"Huh?" she asked, dazed from the pleasure she was still feeling.

"Never mind," he muttered and sped back up, his fingers digging into her thigh around his hip.

After a couple of strokes, it dawned on her what he was asking. He'd never asked before, just done it. It had been a long while since they'd been like that, and he was probably going crazy with wanting it like this.

"You can," she panted, running her hands from his stomach to his chest.

His hips snapped against hers and his eyes squeezed tight. "Yeah?"

"Uh-huh." She nodded, licking her bottom lip.

Beth watched as he pulled out, yanked off the condom, and tossed it to the floor. Daryl leaned down to kiss her, putting a hand by her head. When he pulled back, she peeked down to watch his hand move over his erection, swiping his thumb over the top of it with each pass.

It was the sexiest thing she'd ever seen.

"You're so fuckin' beautiful," he gasped, jerking himself faster. "Gonna come all over your pussy," he choked out and sat back on his heels as he came in thick spurts against her skin. Once he was finished, he collapsed on his stomach beside her, trying to catch his breath. Beth ran a hand through his hair and let out a satisfied sigh before throwing a hand over her head and closing her eyes.

That one noise snapped him out of his haze, and he looked over at her and shook his head. "Christ," he muttered. "Let me get ya cleaned up. Acted like a fuckin' tool, gettin' ya messy like that."

He was up and out of their cell before she could stop him, and she lay there stunned as he came back a few seconds later with a rag, wiping himself off her body.

She grabbed his wrist. "Hey, I told ya you could. I liked watchin' ya," she whispered. He looked at her from the corner of his eye and nodded before biting his thumbnail. "I mean it, Daryl. I love watchin' ya lose yaself like that. You're amazin'."

"Just wanna make sure ya feel good, too," he said quietly, running a hand along her side.

"You always make me feel good." Beth leaned up and kissed him softly. "I think that was the best way to start the day."

"Love ya." He kissed her again, slowly and thoroughly, before he went to gather up her clothes.

"I love you, too, Daryl. More than anythin'."

He tilted his head down, but she caught that grin again. Slowly but surely, he was starting to believe just how much he was worth.

* * *

He, Beth, and Odessa all went down to breakfast together a little while later after Beth had cleaned up and let the baby nurse. He could have gone down without them, but he just straightened up their cell and talked with Beth while she fed Odessa.

It was such a change from the scene on the bed just a little while earlier, but he was learning how to balance it all. He and Beth could get lost in each other, get downright filthy, but they were also parents and the protectors of that baby. They were adapting and creating different sides of themselves. He was Beth's man, Odessa's daddy, and a provider for the group.

Who fucking knew that the end of the world would make him grow into a better man?

After they finished eating, he kissed his girls and headed out to the truck. Merle was already there waiting, and Daryl knew immediately that the apologizing didn't work.

Merle was angry and looking for a fight, but he wasn't about to get one from Daryl. As far as Daryl was concerned, Merle could go kill some damn walkers to work off that tension. He just wasn't ready for it to explode out and damage everything in its path.

The whole way to the farm, Merle bitched about Daryl's driving. As they loaded up the barbed wire, he started in on how Daryl was nothing but a fucking slave to Rick and the others at the prison.

"You're a fuckin' errand boy; s'all ya are." He knocked into Daryl's shoulder and almost caused him to lose his balance while he was sliding in a roll of wire.

"Watch yaself, asshole," he bit out when he cut his finger on a barb trying to keep the wire from falling.

Merle took a few steps back and laughed. "Can't believe how all this shit turned out. I'm sittin' here with my dumb-as-shit baby brother, haulin' supplies to a prison full of people that think we're fuckin' worthless pieces of shit.

"Ya had it right when ya went off on all of them back then. They think you're stupid. Ya ever tell anyone what ya did before all this? Ever tell them that ya followed dear ol' Merle around, pushin' whatever shit we could get our hands on and stealin' whatever else we needed?

"Ya tell that little princess of yours that you paid for nearly every piece of pussy ya ever had before her? Think she'd let ya fuck her then?"

Daryl's shoulders slumped a little as his brother's voice took on the rough edge of their father's. He thought about this morning with Beth and pictured it in a different light. Had he treated her like he'd treated some of those women? He swallowed hard and shook his head after a few seconds.

"You're actin' like a fuckin' moron. Why don't ya take a fuckin' walk or somethin'? Find ya some pills or shine. I ain't gonna fight ya. We need to get home."

"Home?" His voice rose, and he strode across the barn toward Daryl. "The only home we ever had momma burnt down. That prison ain't your home. Those people ain't your blood. I am. Ain't no one ever gonna care about ya like I do."

"Did ya already find some pills? 'Cause you're fuckin' high if ya think I believe that shit for one minute. What? Ya done fucked up at the prison, and ya know ya can't survive without my ass, so ya want me to run off with ya again? I ain't gonna do it.

"You're right, you're my blood, but I got a fuckin' family, Merle. I got a woman and baby that depend on me. I can't just run off with your sorry ass because you done worn out your welcome." Daryl shook his head. "Which ya haven't, by the way. They all know ya pull your weight and you're important there. Ya just think ya need to get out 'cause ya went and fucked things up with Carol."

Merle pushed his shoulder hard and Daryl stumbled. "Ya don't know shit. Ya think ya know what's goin' on up here?" He tapped his temple with his knife hand. "You have no fuckin' idea. I've grinned and beared that shit up at the prison for the last few months 'cause I wanted to be with ya and I couldn't keep ya away, but if ya think for one fuckin' minute they want me there, you're stupider than I thought. I tried to kill that black bitch, and I damn near killed the Chinese kid!"

"He's Korean. How many fuckin' times—" Daryl was cut off by a fist connecting with his jaw.

"What the fuck ever." Merle growled and lunged for him again. "And don't forget, it's 'cause of them that I lost my fuckin' hand!"

"Ya didn't have to lose it." Daryl grunted as he pushed him away. "I went back for ya."

"Ya should have shot that mothafucker in the face when ya found out. He's the reason my hand's gone."

Daryl threw a punch and knocked Merle back enough to put some distance between them.

"Naw, ya lost your hand 'cause you're a simple-minded piece of shit!"

Merle's eyes narrowed, and he took a deep breath in through his nose. "Ya think you're better than me?"

"I know I am." He looked him straight in the eye and somehow managed not to flinch at the fury there.

"Ya ain't. We're born from shit, baby brother. Ya ain't ever gonna be like 'em. Ya ain't ever gonna be worth shit to any of 'em. Ya think you'd have that girl and baby if we weren't at the end of times? Only reason ya got anywhere near her is 'cause you were the only one there. Her daddy knows it, too. Why ya think he acts the way he does? He knows you're worth nothin'."

Daryl swallowed hard and tried to keep a blank face. Merle knew exactly where to hit him and make it hurt, make it leave cracks in his shell.

"Nothin' else to say?"

Daryl shook his head and went for the driver's side of the car.

"Where ya goin'?"

"Home," Daryl muttered and pulled the door handle.

"Fuck that," Merle hollered, yanking him away from the door. "I managed without your ass before."

Before Daryl even realized what was happening, Merle had jumped into the truck, slammed the door, and locked it quickly. He flipped Daryl off and cranked the truck, threw it into reverse, and gunned the engine.

"Merle!" he yelled, jogging beside the truck. "Dammit! Stop!"

Merle was laughing as he turned and started down the driveway. Daryl sprinted down the gravel road, praying he'd stop. Right before he turned onto the main road, Merle threw his crossbow out the window.

Daryl picked it up and tossed the strap over his shoulder, watching as his brother waved out the window and left him deserted, miles from the prison.

* * *

A/N: Just a quick note, I've turned on the "Moderate guest reviews" in settings. If you knit-pick something small in an entire chapter or ask a question that I could definitely offer an explanation to, but choose not to sign-in, it makes me think you're just trying to be difficult and do it anonymously. This story has taken so much of my time and effort to get right, and I'd like to be able to defend it. If there's a review like that, I'll just not allow it to be published. I still hate that I have to read it, but I'm not going to let it go through for the sake of increasing my review count.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

Thanks, Jen, for editing this! Thank you everyone who read and reviewed! I'm so sorry I didn't get to respond. This week has been insane for me.

I hope you like this one!

* * *

Daryl stomped through the woods, more pissed off than he'd ever been before.

He wanted to shove a boot straight up his brother's ass and leave him to truly fend for himself without the truck, gas, or pack of food Beth had made up for them.

It wouldn't be long before Merle hauled himself back to the prison, he figured. He'd go and get lit, realize he didn't have a pot to piss in, then come to the gate, saying he missed his brother. They'd let him in, and the process would repeat again.

The only good thing about the situation was that Daryl knew where he was and about how long it took to get home. Earlier, as he quietly slipped through the woods, he came across a group of about ten walkers he managed to avoid only to stumble upon a group fifteen a little while later.

Those he couldn't get around because he'd stepped on a damn stick while trying to aim his bow. He'd killed a few and ran from the rest, losing a bolt in the process.

After he lost them and regained his bearings, he started back toward home. "Bastard," Daryl muttered, breaking through the trees to the gravel road that led to the prison.

It was early evening when he finally made it to the gate.

"What happened?" Glenn asked as he rushed out of the tower.

Daryl shook his head and looked down at his boots. "He's gone. Don't know where."

"What do ya mean ya don't know where?" Maggie narrowed her eyes and took a step around Glenn.

"Damn, woman, ya deaf? Just what I said. He left."

He didn't wait around to hear what else they were going to say. Instead, he walked into C and looked over the group. They were sitting down for dinner and he wanted to join them, but he caught Beth's eye and nodded up to their door.

He watched as she looked over his appearance, not seeing anything to worry over, but when she really met his eyes, she stood up immediately and handed Odessa over to Hershel. Neither spoke as they took the stairs and walked across the ledge to the door separating the cellblocks.

As he shut the door behind Beth, Daryl saw Maggie and Glenn come inside and start toward Rick. He decided that he'd worry about the rest of them later. Right now, he needed to hash this shit out with someone, and Beth was the only person he'd trust with it.

"What's goin' on?" she asked once they'd gotten into their cell.

"Merle. He's just gone."

Beth paled and searched his face. "He's dead? How?"

Daryl shook his head. "Did I say dead? Pay attention, damn. He's _gone_. He left me out at that damn farm. He took the truck and drove off." Even to his own ears his voice sounded odd. Too even.

Beth ignored his rudeness and continued on. "How could he do that? Where would he even go? Did y'all fight?"

"Merle's always been the one leavin'. I don't know, and yeah, we fought."

"About what? Carol?"

Daryl caught her confused stare and snorted. "About all y'all. 'Bout me thinkin' I'm better than him."

He walked to the other end of the cell and laughed humorlessly. "Ya know what I was before all this?" He didn't wait for her to answer. "I was nobody. Some redneck asshole with an even bigger asshole for a brother. I wasn't shit.

"I sold drugs with Merle some, I got drunk a whole damn lot, and every once in a while, I'd get lucky and find some drunk bitch that would take me back to her place or I'd just hand the money over without doin' much work at all."

"Daryl," Beth said quietly, walking toward him.

"Naw, I ain't better than him, am I? Really? If he hadn't been locked on that roof, we'd have robbed 'em blind. I'd have never met ya. I would've never been here for ya to mess around with. Never would've knocked ya up."

"Ya can't think like that, Daryl. You _are_ here. Things didn't go that way. Ya got away from Merle and ya grew into your own man. Who ya were? That doesn't matter at all. It's who ya are now that counts, and you're a good man."

"My brother just left me out to dry. How good can I be, Beth?"

"I never said Merle was a good man, Daryl. I know that he's your brother and ya love him, but he hasn't changed."

He didn't like the way she was talking about Merle. Didn't like someone passing judgment on his family like that. He knew that she was just trying to make him see how things were, but it didn't sit right with him at all.

"What the fuck am I gonna do?"

Beth shook her head. "You're gonna pray he comes back safe. There's not a thang you can do now. He's made his choice."

"I could look for him." His voice had turned hard, and he closed his eyes at the sound.

"Call me selfish, but I want ya here. Merle Dixon knows how to care for himself." He turned his glare on her as she crossed her arms over her chest. Her expression dared him to disagree. Instead, Daryl did what he did best; he made excuses for Merle.

"He's a fuckin' addict. He'll overdose if he has a damn opportunity."

"I know, but there's no way to track him. Will ya leave us like ya did before to go and be with him? Will ya wait it out with him until he decides it's time to come back again?"

"Ya know I won't do that to ya," he said angrily and pushed off the back wall.

"It sounds like you're thinkin' about!" she whispered viciously at him, clenching her fists at her side.

"He's my blood!" he shouted, his voice echoing through the room. "He's my brother!"

Beth exploded. "Just 'cause y'all are blood doesn't mean you owe him a damn thang! He's made his choice!"

Daryl stalked toward her, stopping when they were toe-to-toe, and she tilted her head back to meet his eyes.

"Watch your mouth," he said coldly.

Beth shook her head and took a step back. "Odessa? She's your blood, Daryl. Me? I'm your blood, too. Think about that."

Then she was walking away from him. Again.

"Where the fuck are you goin'?" He grabbed her arm and turned her around.

"I ain't just gonna stand here and take you gettin' in my face for somethin' that ain't my fault."

Beth tried to pull her arm away, but he held it tighter. "If ya'd stop bein' such a naggin' bitch, I wouldn't have to do it."

"Get your hand off me," she whispered forcefully. "I'm not the person you need to be mad at, and I'm not gonna take it 'cause you need to vent. I am _not_ your punchin' bag, Daryl Dixon."

His hand dropped to his side, and he looked away. Guilt flooding his chest.

"I'll leave ya be for a while," he said and cleared his throat. " 'M sorry."

"You're upset. You're not thinkin' straight."

He stared daggers at her as he passed. "Don't make excuses for my sorry ass."

Daryl took the stairs two at a time and left the prison through B block's outside door. He wasn't going to be her Merle. She wasn't going to end up excusing his behavior for him or making him seem like he should act the way he did.

She was in his corner—always. You don't fight your own people, he reminded himself as he walked toward the fence.

He stood there a long time before anyone approached.

"Ya doin' okay?" Rick asked as he stopped next to him.

"I guess."

Rick nodded and looked at him from the corner of his eye. "Ya sure?"

Daryl sighed. "I don't get it. We have everythin' here, and he does this? Is he so damn proud that he thinks helpin' each other out means you're weak?"

He knew there would be silence, but he didn't expect it to last so long. Finally, he looked over at his friend and saw the hesitation in his eyes.

"What?"

"Maybe he ain't proud. Maybe he thinks he doesn't deserve it after all the shit he's done."

"Everyone can change," Daryl said before he could stop himself. "I did. Didn't I?"

"I think we all changed. Some for the better and some for the worst. In his case, I guess once you're already goin' down one path, it's easier to just keep headin' in that direction instead of turnin' around, mendin' those bridges, and tryin' to be better."

Daryl tried to swallow past the lump in his throat as he thought about Merle listing what he'd done wrong to the people in their group.

"I just wanted my brother back," he spoke quietly, remembering he'd said the exact same thing to Merle the day before.

Rick seemed to gather his thoughts once more before laying a hand on Daryl's shoulder and saying, "You bein' here now? That means everythin' to the people inside that prison. To Beth, to your little girl."

His head fell forward and he closed his eyes, nodding.

They stood in the quiet for a while longer before Rick turned to go back inside. Daryl followed him a few minutes later, and when he closed the door to the outside from B block and turned the lock, he felt like he was closing another door, too.

* * *

He leaned against the doorway of their cell and watched quietly as Beth buttoned up the front of Odessa's pajamas. These were blue with a little baseball and glove on the chest, but she was still wearing a pink headband that Maggie had found a few months ago.

When Beth lifted her off the bed, Odessa caught sight of Daryl and smiled before babbling a little.

"She adores you so much," Beth said with a smile, holding her out for Daryl to hold.

He took in that toothless grin and shaggy blonde hair as he held her on his hip. "Never understand why," he murmured to low for Beth to hear. "Sorry about earlier," Daryl said tightly.

"I know," she said and touched his arm. "I think we're all just confused and emotions were runnin' high, ya know?"

"I shouldn't have yelled at ya, shouldn't have grabbed ya like I did. I'm sorry."

Beth watched him closely for a moment before saying, "Thank you. I'm sorry that Merle took off on ya."

Daryl shrugged. "He'll come back. Ain't gonna worry about it anymore."

They let the subject drop, and Daryl sat down on the bed with Odessa while Beth changed into her sweatpants. She'd recently taken to wearing tennis shoes to bed and had a bag packed near their door.

Daryl hadn't gathered the courage to ask her why yet. He didn't want to think of her and Odessa out there on their own, running.

It wasn't that he thought he'd die protecting them anytime soon, but he knew if it came down to it, he'd be the one holding the door while yelling for her to run.

* * *

Hershel pulled him off watch duty for a few days after Merle left. He told him not to check the fences until he got back on his feet, either. Daryl felt weak accepting the time off, but Hershel wouldn't take no for an answer, especially since it was a committee decision.

"Ya listen to me, Daryl. It ain't wrong to step back for a little while. Ya spent the last few months workin' yourself to the bone for us. You're burnin' out."

"Like to keep busy," he muttered, squinting up at him.

"Well, keep busy with your family instead. We got this covered out here."

It was the closest that Hershel ever came to acknowledging his and Beth's relationship was very serious. Very permanent.

So the next day, Daryl didn't get up before everyone else to check the fences. He stayed in bed with Beth until it was time for her to get up, and he woke up Odessa shortly after and got her dressed for the day. Something he'd never done before.

The funny thing was, even with waking up with Odessa twice the night before, he'd never felt more rested.

That first day of his forced vacation, he just watched Beth and played with his baby girl. He took in every single thing Beth did. She cooked and cleaned, cared for the baby when she needed things he couldn't give her, and helped with the other kids. The other women helped out, but they all seem to look to Beth for directions.

He'd never really known that. He figured Carol did a lot of the bossing but found she'd taken up teaching the kids self-defense during the day, and the other part of her time, she'd ask Beth what needed to be done.

Beth ran the damn place, and he was impressed.

When she was talking to one of the new ladies during the afternoon about dinner, he walked over to Carol, shifting from foot to foot, sorting rocking Odessa into a nap.

"She's busy, huh?" he asked, glancing down at the baby and how her eyes were drooping little.

"I don't think she realizes how much she's needed here," Carol said quietly. "She thinks anybody could do what she does, but we both know that's not true, don't we?"

"Yeah."

Carol smiled at him and touched Odessa's cheek. "I'm so proud of you. You have no idea, pookie."

Daryl's cheeks heated up and he shrugged. "She did all the work."

"A lot of credit goes her way, but she wouldn't have gotten anywhere unless you were willin'. And all this," she said, waving her hand to where Beth was telling the same woman how to do something. "She would never have stepped up like this before she got the confidence from bein' with you."

He snorted and shook his head, dismissing that. Beth was just fine without him.

"I'm serious. I don't know what goes on behind closed doors, thank goodness, but you've made her believe in herself in a way she didn't before. Y'all are perfect for each other."

The only response he offered was a hum before he nodded down at the baby. "I'll go lay her down, and see what I can do."

"She'll have a job for ya if ya ask."

As he walked to the cell where Odessa normally took naps, he couldn't help but notice what a different type place inside the prison was. Normally, he wouldn't interact with anyone during the day unless it was absolutely necessary. Inside, though, he was surrounded by life. He saw exactly what he spent so many months trying to protect.

He'd helped create a safe haven for these people, and the others who were still outside while he was on his little break—Rick, Michonne, Glenn, Maggie, Tyreese, Sasha, and that new guy—they were ensuring that what happened outside never made it inside. And Beth and these other women—they tried to make a normal life for all of them.

It was unreal how little he'd thought of the whole thing before. How they depended so much on each other to create this new world.

When he walked into the cell, Hershel was sitting at the little built-in desk, writing in a journal Rick had brought back for him a few weeks before. Daryl tipped his head down at the baby and then to the crib against the back wall. Hershel smiled and nodded.

Carefully, Daryl placed her on her back and then covered her legs with a thin blanket. He watched her for a second, placing his hand gently on her chest, feeling the rise and fall of her breathing, and looked at her pursed lips and imagined she was dreaming about nursing.

He turned to see Hershel observing him and looked away as he went to the door.

"I'll be around if she wakes up. I'm sure Beth will come get her in a little bit to eat, ya know?"

"I don't mind havin' her here. She's precious to all of us, Daryl."

He scratched the scruff along his jaw and chewed on his bottom lip. "She's a good baby." He cleared his throat, trying to think of something else to say before settling on, "She looks like Beth. Thank God, right?"

His joke fell flat as Hershel pinned him with an intense stare.

"You're doin' well, Daryl."

Heat crept up his neck and into his cheeks as he shook his head. "Well, like I said, I'll be around."

After a few deep breaths, he walked toward the kitchen and caught the tail end of the conversation Beth was having with the woman Michonne had brought back. He felt a little bad for not remembering the names of the new additions, but he also didn't really know them all that well, either.

He imagined that they settled in all right, but he was going full force making it safer when they got to the prison, so he never spent any time talking to them. He trusted Rick and the others to make them toe the line.

The woman and Beth turned toward him and smiled when he entered the kitchen. "Hey!" Beth said and leaned up to kiss his cheek.

"Ya got anythin' ya need me to do? 'Dessa's asleep."

Beth scrunched up her forehead like she was thinking and looked at the other woman. "Not really. We're pretty much all done for the day unless ya want to help haul up some laundry."

Daryl shrugged. "I'll carry it up. First time in a long time I ain't been outside all day."

"Great! Ally was gonna do it by herself, but if ya go with her, y'all'll only have to make one trip instead of two to get it all in. I'll start dinner and then go get Odessa, take her up to our cell, and nurse her."

"We'll handle it." He looked at the woman he was going to be working with and said, "Ya know where it goes once we get back inside? I don't."

"Yeah, I know where to put stuff up at." She seemed a little shy, so he hoped it meant she wouldn't be talking much. She was in her late twenties with dark brown hair. Probably skittish around men considering how she'd been rescued.

"Let's go then." Daryl turned for the door but stopped. He patted the doorframe twice and turned back to Beth with a smile. "See ya later on, songbird."

He watched a soft blush color her cheeks right before he turned away.

Daryl had been right about the woman. She didn't say much the entire time they were pulling down clothes from the line and tossing them into separate baskets. On the way back up the hill, he watched her struggle with the laundry basket and wondered if Beth had this much trouble with it, too.

He walked ahead of her and dropped his basket on the ground at the top of the slope before going back and picking up hers.

"I can do it," she said firmly. "Give it back."

He just pulled the basket further to his side and started walking. "Don't worry about it. Next time we go on a run, we'll get somethin' to make this easier."

"I'm fine."

"I'm sure ya coulda gotten it, but if we can make things simpler, we should. You're carryin' clothes for everyone in that prison; ya prolly need two more baskets so ya don't have to pile 'em up so high in these, and ya need a better way of gettin' back inside. I'll get it taken care of."

She sighed and took the basket from him when he reached flat ground, sagging under its weight. Beth would definitely have a hard time, too, and that was something he'd make sure to fix.

The woman nodded at him and started for the door. Once they were back inside, she led them to a side room that had a couple of long tables set up, and he put the basket down on the nearest one as he watched her hip toss the basket up high enough to land on the table with a loud thump.

"I'll go ahead and take our stuff so ya don't have to fold it up or nothin'." She nodded as he dug through and separated out Beth and Odessa's things and his two shirts, a pair of jeans, and a few pairs of underwear. When he found it all, he folded up the girls' things and stacked them up neatly before throwing his stuff over his shoulder.

"Look at all these clothes," he muttered to himself. The woman beside him turned her head and stared in his direction. He nodded at the pile of clothes he was hauling up for them and tried to make a joke. "Women, right?"

Instead of answering right away, she went back to folding clothes. "They're lucky to have you," she said quietly after a few seconds. "Not everyone has that. Hell, only a few people have that. It seems like all the good people have died off and only the monsters are left."

"Well, ya got us now. We take care of our own. Ya need anythin', ya put it on a list, and we'll get it for ya."

She met his gaze, and he couldn't put a name on what he saw there. "Maybe find me a good man like you? Do they have a store for that?"

Daryl shifted on the balls of his feet, looking away. "Don't know if ya'd have found me in a store like that if they had 'em." He cleared his throat and added, "Clothes and shit like that? We can get."

He tipped his head at her and started for the door, trying to figure out just what had happened. He was pretty sure she hadn't been hitting on him, but there was something so raw in her expression that it made his chest hurt.

Wasn't a thing he could do for her, but he would make sure that as long as he lived, his girls wouldn't be in a position to have that heartache.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19

Thank you, Jen, for editing this for me, and to everyone that has read and reviewed!

I know we had something terrible happen Sunday, and we're all processing our feelings right now, so {{{hugs}}} to every one of you.

If you haven't see it yet, I've got a MSF AU posting called En Route because there was no way I could just let that lie.

* * *

"Somethin' kinda weird happened yesterday," Daryl said quietly to Carol. She looked up at him and raised an eyebrow, clearly waiting for him to continue. After gathering his thoughts, he sat down beside her and relayed what that Ally woman had said to him in the laundry room. He picked at the table with his fingernail, avoiding her eyes.

Carol smirked, shaking her head. "I don't think she was tryin' to get in your pants. Mostly 'cause Beth set her straight the second day she was here."

"What?" he asked, turning his head toward her.

"She asked me and Beth where ya sleep. If maybe ya were interested, she wanted to go and spend some time with ya. Beth told her that _y'all _shared a cell in B block with your daughter.

"She was so embarrassed and apologized a lot. Beth shrugged it off, though. I think she knew that Ally was just lookin' for protection, ya know? She didn't feel safe, and I think she wanted a man to look out for her."

Daryl sighed and shook his head. "She never told me about that."

"Why would she? Just make ya feel weird. I'm only tellin' ya now 'cause enough time has passed and maybe it'll help ya understand where Ally's comin' from."

"I'll never understand women," he muttered.

"Ya don't have to understand all women anymore. Ya only have to understand two of 'em, and they're headin' this way now." Carol laughed at herself before standing up and patting him on the shoulder.

Before she walked away, he asked, "How ya doin'?"

She pursed her lips and looked down at her feet. "I'm all right." She sat back down and leaned close to him, whispering, "Ya might not see it all the time, but there's a good man inside Merle just waitin' to get out. He keeps gettin' these moments where he could shine, and sometimes he takes 'em, and other times he walks in the other direction." She took a deep breath and continues, "He stopped me from doin' somethin' awful once when everyone was startin' to get sick. I've seen the good in him. I've seen the kind and concerned, too. I hope he finally sees it in himself and comes back.

"Not that there's anythin' left for us right now, but if he finally saw his true place here? What he can be? Maybe one day, somethin'll start up again. Who knows." She sighed. "When he looks at me and apologizes because he feels bad instead of sayin' sorry 'cause he thinks I want to hear it, that's when we'll be good again."

"Why'd ya start messin' with him in the first place? Thought ya hated him." Daryl's voice was just as quiet as hers.

"We're alike. Both been beaten down and believed for a long time we were the shit on the bottom of people's shoes. I always understood where y'all were comin' from."

Daryl nodded. "Hope he's got as much faith in himself as you do in him."

"Me, too."

"This looks like a very serious conversation," Beth said as she walked up beside them.

"Can't be too serious," he said and smiled up at her. "I'm about as deep as a puddle."

"Oh hush!" She playfully slapped his shoulder. "Ya got more sense than anybody I've ever met."

"Well, you're young and didn't exactly get out a lot before the end of the world," he joked as he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"So, I guess since you're so old, you've got lots of wisdom and met lots of people. Wanna talk about _that_?"

He pinched her side. "Don't start shit."

"How old are ya anyway? Are ya old enough to be considered my sugar daddy?" She smirked and wiggled her eyebrows. Carol snorted and turned to walk back to the kitchen, leaving them alone.

"I imagine I'm about thirty-six. Maybe thirty-seven. Lost track of the days—and don't call me that."

Beth's eyes widened dramatically. "That _is_ old. I guess that makes me like a trophy wife or somethin'."

He shook his head at her silliness and nuzzled into her stomach, brushing Odessa's leg with his hair. "You're crazy," he muttered and then yelped when the baby grabbed a handful of hair and pulled sharply.

"Damn, girl." He laughed and gently pried her little fingers out of his hair.

"Why do ya think I pull mine back?"

"'Cause it's easier?"

"That, and so she won't yank on it. You should cut it. Let me see ya with short hair again." She leaned down and kissed his cheek before whispering in his ear. "I had the most terrible crush on you when we were at my daddy's farm. You with your cut off shirts and sun-blonde hair. Couldn't help but stare at ya."

"Lair." He snorted and nudged her back a little.

"I'm serious. I wouldn't tell ya stories like that."

One look into her eyes made him realize just how serious she was being. "I'll take care of it," he said immediately.

"Ya need any help?" she asked softly, staring him up and down.

He looked between her and the baby before nodding over at Carol. "Shouldn't get her all covered in hair, ya know? Maybe see if Carol'll watch her for a little bit."

Beth caught her smile, biting her lip instead as she nodded. "We definitely wouldn't want that."

* * *

"Ya know, this ain't such a bad idea. I might have gone and got my hair trimmed a lot more if I had ya to take care of me after."

"That would've been illegal," she snarked, curling into his side. "And I don't even wanna hear ya make mention of some other woman in comparison to me. I'm terribly jealous. It's ridiculous."

He laughed against her shoulder, and she pulled back to look at him. "I'm serious. I had no idea I'd be like this, wantin' to keep ya all to myself and makin' sure everyone else knows it. I never felt this way about Jimmy, God rest his soul."

"Ya know, I might be a little bit jealous if he'd nailed ya, but I'm okay with 'im. Especially seein' how he ain't exactly around to moon over ya."

Beth's forehead scrunched up. "All the ladies you were with are dead. That's creepy to think about it."

"Well, first off, I'd never classify 'em as _ladies_ 'cause I sure as shit ain't no gentleman. Secondly, don't say shit like that. Makes it sound like I fucked dead women."

"Ewwwww!" She pushed against his shoulder. "That's disgustin'. I didn't mean it like that!"

After she quieted down, she peeked up at him from under her eyelashes. "Would ya call what we do 'fuckin' or 'makin' love' since I'm a lady and all." She batted those same damn eyelashes and bit her bottom lip innocently.

"'Lady' my ass," he muttered. "She-devil's more like it."

Beth leaned up and kissed him, dragging her tongue over his bottom lip before biting down softly. "You love it."

"I do," he answered against her lips before pushing her onto her back and deepening their kiss.

He was just about to spread her thighs and sink back inside her when an awkward cough followed by a knock on their cell bars made him jump off her like he'd been burned.

"Odessa's pretty fussy." Hershel's voice floated through the space, making him feel even more uncomfortable. "Sorry. Thought ya were gettin' a haircut. I'm goin' now."

Beth sprang up, and they yanked on their clothes. "We'll be right down," she called out as she pulled a shirt over her head.

He heard the old man shuffle away and felt his face burn with embarrassment.

"I swear all I do is fuck up with him. Shouldn't lay a damn hand on ya until I'm certain he's asleep."

"It's bound to happen in such close quarters. He knows we're not celibate, Daryl."

"There's a hell of a difference between knowin' and actually hearin' it," he muttered as he buckled his belt.

Beth was pulling her hair back up as she walked over to him. She ran her fingers through his shortened hair and scratched the nape of his neck before she kissed him softly. "We're not doin' anythin' wrong. I'm yours and you're mine, remember?"

He kissed her then and nodded. "Yeah, songbird."

"See ya downstairs in a bit," she said when she pulled away.

Daryl sat down on the bed and tied the laces of his boots, sighing heavily when he finished. When he felt his embarrassment ease up, he walked out of the cell and into C where everyone was gathered around eating dinner.

He spotted Beth quickly. Of course she was sitting by her daddy, but she had a makeshift shawl over her shoulder, blocking her torso from view, so he knew she was feeding Odessa.

Daryl went through the dinner line, getting a bowl for Beth and one for himself before steeling himself and taking the open seat next to her.

"Your hair looks good," Maggie said when he started eating. "Don't look so mangy now."

He tried to restrain himself from flipping her off but failed, causing Beth to sigh loudly, especially when Maggie returned the gesture back at him. They continued to eat in silence for a minute before Beth nudged his shoulder. "Hold her for a little bit?"

He nodded and wiped his hands on his jeans before reaching under the shawl and carefully removing Odessa. She was milk drunk, or least that's what Beth called it, and laid her head sleepily on his chest as he finished eating.

Her little hand patted his neck as she tried hard to stay awake.

"Give up, baby girl," he whispered down to her. "Ya need to sleep."

"I can take her back," Beth said a few minutes later once she'd finished eating.

"Naw, I got her. Why don't ya go clean up? Have a little quiet time," he said, nodding to their cellblock.

Maggie added, "Rick turned on the generator a little while ago so we can use the showers. Maybe even get some warm water."

"That sounds amazin'." Beth sighed and leaned against him. "I'll go first then you can?"

Daryl nodded. "Take your time. I got this covered."

She kissed his cheek and stood up, following Maggie to gather some towels and fresh clothes before heading to the community shower area that was down the hall.

"How's your vacation time been so far?" Glenn asked, smirking a little.

"Fine," he murmured. "Ain't really much they need me for in here. Think I'll go huntin' tomorrow. Try and get us some meat."

"That'd be nice." Glenn scratched his jaw and looked over at the other table where all the kids were sitting with Carol. "Maybe take Carl with ya? He's been stir crazy lately, buggin' everyone to go outside the fence."

"That's fine with me, as long as Rick's okay with it."

Daryl looked over at the boy again and the other kids. Mika and Lizzie were Carol's responsibility and both pretty quiet kids. The two new kids, Samantha and Drew, were louder, but they didn't do anything wrong. There was another kid from Woodbury, too. His name was Luke, and he was the youngest of them all. He was shy and stuck close to Tyreese most days.

Daryl imagined losing your family like he had probably messed a kid up, but he seemed to be adapting well. Or at least from a distance he seemed to.

Odessa started fussing again, and he patted her back. "Good Lord, girl, sleep's a good thang. Give in."

Glenn laughed at him when she started pushing away from his shoulder and trying to sit up. "I found a camera the other day. It's a polaroid." He looked between Daryl and Odessa. "I was thinkin' about gettin' everyone together for a group picture. Maybe I can take one of you, Beth, and Odessa together, too."

Daryl nodded. He didn't really like the idea of taking a picture, but he liked the thought of having one of his girls. "That'd be good," he finally said as he patted Odessa's back softly.

A few seconds later, Hershel pointed to the baby and cleared his throat. "Both my girls were the same way," he said as he closed his Bible and laid it on the table. "Fought sleep, whined, and cried until they passed out. Shawn loved to sleep. Easiest of the three to put down for the night."

"Make sure ya have a boy then, Glenn," Daryl said jokingly.

"Oh wow." Glenn sighed heavily. "That's hard to imagine."

"I hear that," he said quietly, putting Odessa on his lap to look over the table. She slapped her hands down on it and made a gurgling noise that sounded sort of like a laugh.

Hershel looked between them, and Daryl wondered what was going through his mind. Finally, he cleared his throat and looked down at the table before turning to Daryl.

"I told Glenn a long time ago, when we were still at the farm, that no one is ever good enough for your little girl—until one is. I still don't understand how this started between y'all, but I can't ignore all ya've done and all ya do for Beth and Odessa. How ya care for 'em." He held his hand out to Daryl, and stunned, Daryl sat there for a few seconds before he gripped Hershel's hand and shook firmly. "You're a good man, Daryl. She could've done a lot worse."

"Thanks," he said quietly, and Hershel got up and took his bowl and Bible with him toward his cell.

Daryl looked over at Glenn and asked, "What was that?"

Glenn smiled at him. "Welcome to the family, man."

* * *

Daryl didn't mention anything to Beth that night when they laid down for bed. Not because he was trying to keep it a secret, but because he was still trying to work through it in his head first.

He did tell her that he was going hunting the next day and taking Carl out with him.

"Be careful, and y'all kill somethin'. Vegetable soup is gettin' a bit old."

"I hear ya."

"When the garden comes in, we'll have a bit more variety, but right now, we're scrapin' the bottom of the barrel. We need to get a trailer or somethin' and scavenge through tons of towns for days, tryin' to gather as much as we can, ya know?"

Daryl wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her back to his chest. "That'd be nice, but there's too many people out there that would kill ya for somethin' like that. Especially if we go to towns we haven't been to before and don't know nothin' about. We could end up runnin' into another Woodbury or just a group of shitheads with more firepower and fewer morals."

She sighed. "I don't understand why people are so terrible now."

"People have always been terrible. We just don't have a buffer between us and them no more."

She hummed and nodded against her pillow but didn't say anything else. Soon they were asleep, enjoying a sense of safety that was getting harder and harder to come by in their world.

* * *

He and Carl had been out in the woods for over an hour, and the kid spent most of his time begging to go into a town.

"Done told ya, we ain't goin' out of the woods. We're huntin'. Ya wanna go on a run, talk to your old man."

"He thinks I'm just a kid."

"Stay a kid as along as you fuckin' can, Carl. Outside the fence is a terrible place, and if he can shield ya from it a little longer, he will."

"I killed my mom, Daryl."

They stared at each other for a few moments before Carl looked down at his boots, his dad's deputy hat covering up his face.

"Yeah, well, even more reason for ya to stay out of the thick of things. Ya grow up too fast and it messes ya up. Trust me, I know."

He stopped asking then and instead followed Daryl quietly as they checked the snares. By the time they made it back to the prison, they'd killed four squirrels, but their big prize was a bobcat.

Daryl had shot them before, but never to eat. Before the world went to hell, he sometimes trapped animals and sold their furs before tossing the rest away. If he'd gotten in a pinch, he'd have eaten it, but before now, he'd never been hard up for good food.

"They're back!" Tyreese hollered from the gate. "Daryl's got dinner!"

He nodded and smirked before telling Carl to head over to the side of the prison where they'd skin their kill. "I'll be right behind ya. Lay out the squirrels and find the rope for the cat."

Carl took off, and Daryl shifted the cat on his shoulders. He caught Beth and Odessa coming out of the prison. "This good enough for ya, woman?"

She lit up but then hid her smile and shrugged. "It'll do."

"Uh-huh." He walked around the corner feeling lighter than he had earlier. They'd eat good tonight.

Once he reached the place where they dressed the animals, he laid down the bobcat and drew his hunting knife. Carl wasn't back with the rope, so he picked up a squirrel and went to work. It wasn't until he'd skinned two that he realized he was missing one. He didn't think he'd seen Carl drop it from his belt, but it didn't seem like there was any other explanation.

Carl came around the corner, holding the rope they needed, and said, "Sorry. Dad stopped me, asked how things went."

"S'ok. Where's the other squirrel? Only got three here."

Carl looked around on the ground and said, "I laid 'em out just like ya told me to. There were four of 'em."

"I found 'em stacked up on top of each other, and there were only three."

"I'm tellin' ya, I did just what ya said. I—"

He was cut off by Beth screaming his name. "Daryl!"

In a split second, he dropped the squirrel, palmed his knife, and sprinted across the yard. Her voice cut through the air again followed by a shrill scream he knew had come from a child. In that moment, he wasn't thinking the voice was too old for his little girl; all he was picturing was her perfect little face scrunched up in absolute pain.

When he turned the corner; though, he saw Odessa sitting against wall of the prison, wailing and looking toward the fence.

Daryl turned, and his blood ran cold as he saw Beth trying to get Lizzie's arm out of the jaws of a walker, a half-eaten squirrel on the dusty ground between them.

Time stood still for him in that moment, and he knew he'd remember it all in perfect detail for the rest of his life.

Beth's frantic yells for help, Lizzie's screams of pain, his heart pounding in his ears as he closed the distance between them and put his blade through the fence and into the walker's eye.

As it fell to the ground, its teeth dug into the little girl's skin, slicing it open and exposing the bone. Beth cradled her to her chest as the others ran up, Carol rushing to their side.

Beth didn't even speak, just reached up and yanked off Daryl's belt to wrap it around Lizzie's arm as tightly as she could.

The little girl was panting and shaking. "Why does it hurt? They're my friends. Why does it hurt?" Daryl tried to ignore his skin crawling at her words as she begged, "Let me change. You'll see."

The words were barely out of Lizzie's mouth when Beth looked up at him and said, "Cut it off, Daryl."

"What?" he asked, gaping at her.

"Cut her arm off. Like Rick did to Daddy's leg."

Daryl dropped to his knees and took the hatchet that Glenn held out at his side. "It's too late, I think." And he didn't just mean about the walker's virus contaminating her system.

"Do it anyway. It might not be."

He looked at Carol, who had tears running down her face, and ignored Lizzie's pleas to let her turn as he pulled back the hatchet and swung twice before her arm was severed and on the ground beside them. When she passed out, Carol and Beth tried to stem the bleeding as Hershel knelt down between them, helping as much as he could.

Just a few minutes had passed with them pumping her heart and applying pressure to her stump when Daryl saw it. The moment she ceased to live and became something else.

He'd never seen one turn that fast but figured she since she was little, it attacked her body faster than it would an adult.

Lizzie's eyes opened, and she turned her head toward Beth's arm. Beth gasped when she saw walker eyes in a child's face, and he didn't hesitate to place his hand on the side of the little girl's head and push it to the ground. As quickly as he could, he picked up his knife and stabbed through the side of her head behind her ear.

Daryl stared at his hands, shaking and covered in blood, and the only sound that registered was Odessa crying in the distance.


	20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20

Thank you, Jen, for editing, and thank y'all so much for reading and reviewing! I really hope you like this one!

* * *

Daryl stared at the body for a second longer before he pushed straight through the crowd that had gathered. He watched Maggie take Odessa back inside, and at that moment he was beyond grateful to her.

He grabbed the shovel from inside the cellblock door and started out through the gate to where they'd buried everyone else, and then he took all his anger and frustration out on the ground he was breaking.

He was angry at the world for changing. At that little girl for putting them all in danger—for her even being so damn crazy in the first place. She might have had issues before the walkers, but they just fucked her up even more.

He was mad at Carol for not seeing it before this. She was with that girl every single day. So were those other kids, and they never said anything about her being weird.

More than anything, though, he'd been terrified to see Beth there, pulling Lizzie away, and fucking furious with her for leaving Odessa in the grass while she put herself in danger. Finally, he was shaken to the core after taking the life of a child when he was just coming to terms with all the feelings he had for his own.

It would destroy him if anything happened to Beth or Odessa, but his feelings for Odessa went beyond anything he'd ever imagined. He loved Beth; she had opened up his world and made him a better man. But Odessa had made him truly see the things Beth had told him. He was good. He knew it now because of her.

By the time he'd dug a decent hole, he turned to see Tyreese carrying Lizzie's small body wrapped in a sheet. He looked down, pushing away images of the ordeal.

"Ya ready?" Tyreese asked quietly.

"Yeah."

Tyreese kneeled down and gently placed her body into the grave, pausing once to place his hand on where her forehead was. With his eyes closed, he mouthed something for a few seconds before sitting back on his heels.

"I never knew," he said softly. "I was around her and those other kids a lot, ya know? Luke feels safe with me and Sasha, so we'd go and watch him play with 'em. She wasn't crazy, Daryl. She seemed a little different, but we figured it was because she was there when her daddy died."

"Ain't nothin' we can do about it now," Daryl muttered.

"You okay, man?"

Daryl nodded.

"Ya su—"

"Yeah." He held out the shovel. "Ya wanna finish this or do ya want me to cover her up?" He could have said it nicer, sugarcoated what was happening, but for some reason he wasn't in the mood to pussyfoot around.

"I'll do it. Why don't ya go and find Beth?"

Daryl handed over the shovel and left without another word. Once he was back through the gate, he went to where he'd dropped their game. Hershel had the cat strung up and was cleaning it just as well as he could.

"I got this," he said without looking up from his work. "Ya go on inside and clean up."

"'M fine. Goin' back out," he said as he picked up his bow. "Tell Beth."

As he started to walk away, Hershel grabbed his arm, stopping him. "You should tell her yourself."

He yanked his arm away and stared down the old man. "Ain't in any shape to be talkin' to her now. I'll be back later."

"I understand, but she's a mess."

"She should be." His voice was louder than he meant it to be.

"I know," she said quietly.

Daryl turned quickly and saw Beth wringing her hands, looking at the ground.

"What the fuck were ya thinkin'?" It spilled from his lips before he had a chance to hold it back.

"It's my fault. I turned the corner and scared her. The walker grabbed her 'cause of me."

Daryl stalked toward her, but pulled himself up a few feet away. He was clenching his hands around his bow strap and trying to keep the full brunt of his emotions inside.

"Naw, that walker grabbed her 'cause she was bat shit crazy and feedin' that thang. She's the one feedin' the mice to the walkers a few months ago, too, I'd bet fuckin' money."

"Don't call her that. This world—it's not for kids."

Everything that he was trying to keep in poured out. "You're right! It ain't for kids, so why the fuck did ya put ours on the ground like that? Why'd ya leave her on her own while ya went to help that girl? Wasn't no saving her!"

"What should I have done?" she yelled through tears. "Just stand there why she screamed?"

"Naw, ya shoulda waited for me or someone else. Ya didn't even have your damn knife on ya! Ya just sat Odessa down in the dirt! What if there'd been a break in the fence? Hell, what if ya'd sat her on a damn ant bed? She's our priority, Beth. Before everythin' and anyone else."

Beth stared at him wide-eyed for several seconds. "Are ya sayin' that I'm not a good mother? That I'm not puttin' her ahead of everythin'?"

"I'm sayin' that ya didn't think about her before ya ran off to help that girl."

"She is all I think I about, Daryl. Everythin' I do or plan, I do with her in mind. I think of ways to get out of this death trap if the fences fall or the tombs get overrun. I know I'm not made to survive here, and I know she's not either, and that's too much to put on ya, so I plan. Today? I saw Lizzie gettin' attacked, and I reacted. Was it the right move? Probably not, but don't stand there and say that I don't care about Odessa. Hell, I've been there for her when you weren't!"

Hershel choose that moment to step in and said, "Now, y'all need to breathe before ya say somethin' ya can't take back."

"She wants to go down this road, we'll go. It's been a long time comin', ain't it?" Daryl looked from Hershel to Beth. "Tell me, girl, what I've done wrong. List 'em for me."

"You hid us!" she shouted. "Ya made this a bad thing! Ya made me feel like I wasn't good enough!" She pushed his shoulders, but he didn't move. "Ya only gave in 'cause of her, Daryl. Otherwise, ya would have tried to pick up where we left off."

His face was blank. A look he'd perfected over the years even though he was breaking inside.

"Ya gonna say somethin'?" she shouted at him when he took a step back.

Daryl shook his head and looked at the ground.

"You're just gonna be quiet?" Her voice cracked. "You're not gonna say I'm wrong?"

"Ya ain't." He shrugged. "I always planned to apologize for leavin', hoped ya'd want to stick together, but I didn't plan on tellin' no one right away, at least."

"You're serious?" she whispered brokenly.

"Ain't gonna lie."

"Do ya love me?" Beth wiped a tear off her cheek while Hershel stepped back awkwardly, giving them space.

"You know I do." He bit his fingernail and looked away.

"But ya'd have tried to keep it a secret still if we hadn't made Odessa?"

"Yeah." he answered honestly, watching her break.

"I can't even with ya right now, Daryl. It's like ya try to be unhappy. I get that ya grew up in a terrible place, but ya don't have to stay there. We've talked about this before!"

"I ain't never talked to you about anythin' from before this. The other day I bitched a little, but you don't know shit about my life before the walkers."

"I know ya got scars all over ya, and I imagine they're not just from fallin' down."

He stared at her before he shook his head. "Gonna go out again."

"You're not goin' anywhere until we get this straightened out." She cut him off by stepping in front of him.

"Don't back me into a corner, Beth." he whispered harshly. "Ya don't wanna see that."

"We've got to figure this out. We can't just keep pretendin' nothin' ever happened. Ya can't just keep sayin' 'sorry' and expect it to be good. I love you. Odessa loves you. Please don't walk away from this." She took a deep breath, her blue eyes red from crying. "I'll start. I'm sorry for today. I know I shouldn't have left her like that, and I feel so guilty about it. I can guarantee ya that it won't happen again. I'm so, so sorry that you had to be the one to do that to Lizzie, and I'm sorry that I told ya to cut her arm off. I didn't even think about how that would mess with ya."

"Sorrys don't mean shit," he said quietly. "Ya just told me that."

"Daryl," she pleaded and grabbed his hand. Her thumb rubbed back and forth over his palm, and he allowed himself to feel a little comfort in the action. "Please don't go."

He scanned her face and finally looked down at where she was gripping his hand tightly. He knew running wouldn't solve anything, but at the same time, it was exactly what he felt he should do. He wouldn't be like Merle, though, he wouldn't run, but he also wasn't going to sit around talking about his feelings, either.

"Gonna go and take watch on the tower," he muttered. "Be there all night, I imagine."

"I can bring Odessa, and we can sit up there with ya. Be like before, but, ya know, with a baby there."

Daryl shook his head. "Just give me some space."

Beth let his hand drop and nodded before stepping back. "I need to get back to 'Dessa," she whispered. "I'll see ya tomorrow?"

"Yeah." He nodded, eyes on his boots the whole time.

He listened to her footsteps retreat and swallowed hard.

"Do ya just not want her to know about your childhood?" Hershel asked quietly.

Daryl's back stiffened and he looked over his shoulder. "Ain't no reason to talk about it."

"Talkin' don't make ya weak, Daryl."

"Got dealt a shitty hand. No use talkin' about it."

He went to the tower without waiting for Hershel to respond. Once up the stairs, he nodded at Michonne. "I'll take over."

She looked him up and down, taking in his still-bloodied clothes and hands. "Ya sure ya don't wanna clean up?"

"No."

She nodded and walked out the door. That was what he liked about Michonne. No bullshit. No talking. She had her issues, he had his, and never the two shall meet—and all that shit.

He spent the afternoon dwelling on all the things that had happened over the last few months. How he realized Beth knew about his scars even if he'd never come right out and told her. He implied a lot, and she was smart. He didn't see any reason to go into details.

When he settled that, he harped on how he'd treated her before he left with Merle and how that had changed when he got back because of the baby. But he'd known he'd have come out of hiding eventually. He'd missed her so much, and he'd wanted her to be his, so it wouldn't have been long before he just bit the bullet and gave in.

Daryl didn't know what to do. She was obviously pretty pissed still about how they'd been before the baby, and he wasn't sure how to change that. He was there now, and that's what mattered. He was taking care of his family, he'd gotten her all that shit she needed before Odessa had gotten there, and he'd made sure their home was secure over the winter when he'd really have liked to been inside or hunting.

He didn't understand. He'd changed a hell of a lot, but she was still back there in the past, where he'd acted like a dick.

With a deep sigh, he shook his head and stared out over the prison yard. He'd have to talk to her about shit, so he'd use this time alone to prepare for it.

* * *

A few hours later, there was a knock at the door. He didn't say anything, and several seconds later the knock sounded again.

"C'mon in. Damn," he said loudly.

The door opened slowly and Ally peaked in. "Sorry. I wasn't sure what you were doin'."

"On watch," he said, turning back to the big window. He wasn't in the mood for small talk or anybody coming in staring at him all intense like.

"Here's your dinner," she said quietly.

"Thanks." He pointed to the table off to the side. "Just set it there if ya will."

She placed the container on the table and moved to his side. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see she was fidgeting, but he didn't say anything. He figured she'd catch the hint soon enough and head out.

Then she stepped in front of him and started unbuttoning her flannel shirt.

"Christ almighty," he muttered and stood up, holding her shirt closed, and led her to the door. "Got enough shit goin' on right now, woman. Add this to the mix and you're gonna get my balls cut off. Thanks for the dinner. Have a good night."

He shut the door and locked it before picking up the food and taking his seat again.

"Fuckin' women."

* * *

It was well after midnight and he was falling asleep, so he knew he needed to get someone to take over watch for him. Last thing they needed was for him to pass out and have something terrible happen.

He stretched and cracked his neck before walking into C block to wake someone up. Five minutes later, Glenn and Maggie shuffled out to the tower to take his place. He was surprised that Maggie didn't smart off at him about earlier, but figured she _had _just woken her up.

After he looked into Beth's old cell and his old one, he knew she must be in B block. That lightened his chest, but he wasn't sure if it meant he was welcome there. Especially since she thought he'd be on watch all night.

He stood at the top of the stairs for a few seconds before he shrugged and started across the ledge to B. Sure, they were fighting, but he still loved her, still loved the baby. Just because they were mad didn't change that, and he knew it probably wouldn't be the last time he pissed her off or she made him angry.

Once he was inside their cell, he slipped off his boots, grabbed some clean clothes, and went to clean up. When he got back, he watched Odessa sleep for a minute before getting into bed beside Beth.

She stayed asleep when he wrapped his arm around her, and soon he was drifting off, too. They'd sort it all out. He knew they would.

* * *

A sharp stab of pain in his ribs made him roll over and squint into the light coming through the cell door.

"Damn," he muttered.

"Ya can't just come in here like that and pretend nothin' is wrong," Beth said, propping the baby on her hip and staring daggers at him.

"I know that, but just 'cause we're havin' a fight don't mean that I don't still love ya and wanna be around y'all."

She huffed. "When ya say stuff like that it makes me have hope that you won't be so closed off."

"Listen, girl, I don't wanna talk about bein' a kid, okay?" He rolled over and planted his feet on the ground, putting his bare back toward her. "Got beat. A lot. Old man was a drunk and momma died in a fire. Life was shitty."

"Daryl," she whispered, touching his back.

"I don't wanna go into it," he repeated. "Ya know. Ya know more than anyone else. Can we drop it?"

She placed Odessa on the pillows and then leaned her forehead to his shoulder, kissing it softly. "I'm sorry."

"Sorry don't mean shit."

"It does."

He shrugged. "I love ya, Beth. I do. Never thought I'd be comfortable with those words, but I am when it comes to you and 'Dessa. Ya scared me yesterday."

"I know, and I'm so very sorry for that."

He placed his hand over hers on his chest. "I'd have told your daddy about us even if ya hadn't been pregnant. I couldn't have kept it secret for much longer. I missed ya so damn much when I was gone that all I wanted to do was grab ya up and kiss the hell out of ya."

They stayed quiet and Daryl cleared his throat. "Can ya forgive me for forcin' ya to hide things?"

"Yes," she whispered against his neck. "Can ya forgive me for yesterday?"

"Yeah." He kissed the back of her hand. "Never meant to make it seem like you weren't a good mom. Ya are. You're amazin' with her."

"So are you."

They were quiet for a few moments before he ducked his head down and asked softly, "Seems like all we do is fight. Ya sure this is a good thang?" Daryl braced himself, truly afraid of her answer.

She laughed quietly. "We're both pretty passionate people. We're bound to disagree, but I'm certain we're supposed to be together."

He cleared his throat and nodded. "Me, too. I just care about ya so much."

Beth kissed his shoulder again before scooting off the bed and picked Odessa back up. She moved to stand between his legs, and when he looked up at her, she smirked.

"So, what happened with Ally?"

He clenched his jaw so tight his teeth ached before he said, "Not a damn thang."

"I know," she said. "I was on my way up with dinner when you led her out. I heard what ya said, too."

"Good." He cocked his head to the side. "Why ain't ya madder?"

Beth laid Odessa in the pack-n-play and handed her a stuffed giraffe before straddling his lap and loosely wrapping her arms around his neck.

"She's harmless, and I don't have any reason to be mad. Ya handled it, and I know for a fact that you're hung up on me."

Daryl swallowed hard and nodded. "I am."

The kiss that followed was slow and sweet. Beth scooted closer to him, pushing him to lie back, and she sighed into their kiss, wiggling up higher to deepen it. His hands tangled in her hair, and he groaned quietly when her tongue met his.

Beth hummed against his lips and pulled back. "We gotta get up."

"I am," he joked and pushed her down on his lap.

Beth laughed and squirmed away from him but then laid her head on his chest. "Yesterday was terrible."

"It was."

"Let's make today better," she said and kissed his jaw once before shifting off him and going to get Odessa again.

"It already is," he said and scratched his stomach, watching her move around the room.

"Ya probably need to talk to Carol today, though. She was pretty torn up about Lizzie."

Daryl sat up and grabbed his shirt off the floor, shrugging it on with his vest. "I'll see about it."

* * *

After eating breakfast, his feet carried him to Carol's cell even though he really didn't want to go.

"Ya awake?" he asked before he pushed back the curtain. She was sitting on the edge of the bed with her head in her hands.

When she looked up, he could tell she'd been crying all night, and she nodded behind her to where Mika was sleeping on the bunk.

"She's been havin' nightmares."

"Imagine so," he said quietly.

"I'm sorry, Daryl." She closed her eyes and her chin trembled.

"Sorry it happened to ya," he said and shrugged. "Nothing's fair here. She got messed up with all the shit that happened to her."

"I knew."

Her voice was so low he almost didn't hear her. Still, he asked dumbly, "What?"

Carol looked up at him, and tears streamed down her cheeks. "I'm so sorry. I was tryin' to help her, but she was just beyond it."

Daryl stared at her, trying to process what he'd just heard but failing. He trusted Carol, and she'd kept this from them. He didn't understand.

"You shoulda told us. This coulda hurt the whole group. My family. What were ya thinkin'?" He eyes flicked between hers, searching for answers but only finding tears.

She shook her head and said, "Tellin' everyone woulda made it worse. She was right on the edge, and things were goin' well until Merle left and then she just spiraled so fast."

"Merle knew?"

Carol shook her head and covered her mouth to stifle a sob. "No, but he kept her in line. He was so good with her. Ya don't even know, Daryl. It's like he knew what to say to make her calm down in an instant. She respected him, and he just took off."

"But he didn't know about her thinkin' the walkers were good or that she had fed 'em?"

"No. I never told him. Lizzie—she looked to him. She was tryin' to change, and she must have decided that she wanted to be like him."

"Are ya sure it was 'cause he was good with her or 'cause she liked that he had a knife for a hand?" Daryl asked harshly, looking away and clamping his mouth shut before he said something else.

"I don't know. Maybe I was just seein' somethin' that wasn't there." She looked down at her hands. "Are ya gonna tell 'em?"

He scrubbed a hand over his jaw and sighed heavily. "Don't know."

With that, he turned and left her cell, completely overwhelmed by what had just happened.

He remember a few months earlier when everyone had gotten sick, he'd told Beth, "When it rains, it pours." He just hoped that it would stop raining and nothing else was headed their way.


	21. Chapter 21

Ch. 21

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing my stories! I appreciate it so much!

* * *

Daryl immediately went and found Beth and told her what Carol had said. It took a weight off him to have someone to bounce things off, and while they were both upset that she'd kept it a secret, neither thought it would do any good to tell the group. Lizzie was dead, and Carol was dealing with the guilt of the whole thing while trying to keep Mika together. She didn't need any other troubles.

So Daryl and Beth kept her secret, but they also decided to keep a close eye on things where Carol was concerned. All the losses she'd experienced were bound to take a toll on her.

The two weeks following Lizzie's death were somber around the prison. It had been a while since they'd experienced a walker-related death—and the first death like hers. The only thing that perked Beth up was the picture Glenn had snapped of them all together. She took the picture of the three of them and set it on their bedside table. He liked waking up to that.

Since Daryl hadn't been back on watch, he walked the fence several times a day, taking care of the random walker that got past their defenses. He'd even started making regular trips into the tombs to make sure all the doors were secure.

It was getting warmer, and Daryl knew that they were going to start planting the garden soon. Georgia soil was good for planting just about anything, and he figured they'd need to make a run before too long to pick up supplies.

A few days after that thought popped into his head, Rick approached him about taking an extended run to gather up gardening supplies and more canning tools. He wanted the garden to be even bigger than last year's, which was a good idea considering they had a few more mouths to feed.

They agreed that they'd take a day to plan out the run with the map they had in one of the trucks and give everyone time to add things to their list.

"Ya think Odessa needs anythin' new?" Rick asked as they walked across the prison yard.

"I'm sure. She's still got plenty of clothes but could probably use some more baby stuff. Does Judith need stuff?"

"Clothes," Rick answered. "She's growin' so fast. Maybe a few toys meant for older kids, ya know?"

"Yeah, we'll get Beth to make us a list of all that stuff," he said and rubbed his chin.

"Probably could use some more of everything really. Just hate that it's so warm and they seem so active. That's a lot of risk-headin' out into it."

Daryl shrugged. "What was it Hershel yelled about when everyone was sick? 'Ya risk your life no matter what, but at least we can decide what we risk it for.' I'll risk it for my family. They need things to survive, and neither one of them are in the position to go out themselves, so I'll go. You'll go to take care of yours. Others will go because they're doin' their part to help someone they care about survive. That's all this is, Rick. Just gotta figure out what you're willin' to risk your life for, and then everythin' else just sorta falls into place."

Rick stared at him for a minute. "When'd you get so philosophical?"

"Always thinkin' shit like this. Just never say it."

"Ya should talk more."

"That was Hershel talkin'. I just took his words and made 'em work for this."

Rick looked him over once more before shaking his head. "Ya still don't take compliments well."

"Well, I gotta go tell Beth about this run and see what she and 'Dessa need."

Rick just smirked. "I'll see ya around."

* * *

Beth wasn't exactly pleased that he'd be leaving for a couple of days, but she didn't pitch a fit. It wasn't like he was running off to do something stupid. She was just worried about him coming back, which he knew and understood well.

He was worried about making it back, too, but he'd never let her know. Some things just needed to be kept close to the chest. He was sure Beth had a few things she didn't tell him, so he wouldn't worry more than he had to, as well.

The day of the run, Daryl woke up before he really needed to. His mind had been racing all night, so he hadn't got much sleep. With a sigh, he squeezed Beth to him and nuzzled into her hair.

He wasted no time skimming his hand under her shirt to cup her tits. She wiggled back against him as she turned her head.

"Figure you need a good sendoff?" she asked, smiling softly over her shoulder.

"Just want ya," he answered. "Always want ya." That one came out much quieter.

Beth hummed and kissed his jaw as he removed his hand from under her shirt and pulled off his jeans. When he rolled back into place, he took her leg and raised it up over his, wrapped his hand around her waist, and pulled her back flush against his chest.

"I like it when ya wear just my shirt," he whispered.

She almost spoke, but he sucked her earlobe between his lips and she moaned quietly instead. He slid inside her in one motion, causing them to drop their heads-his forehead against her shoulder and hers against his biceps.

This wasn't how they usually messed around. Daryl felt silly on his side, but he loved the view. She was spread wide open, and he could watch as he slipped in and out. Her mouth was so close, and if he leaned just a little, he could kiss her hard. And he did—frequently.

They couldn't move fast like this, though, and his body was screaming for him to roll her onto her stomach and pound into her, but her hand that reached up behind her and tangled into his hair kept him in place.

She liked it like this-close, his hand spanning her stomach and bringing her close as he pushed back in with slow, deep strokes that caused him to grit his teeth and narrow his eyes. He had to admit that he liked it, too. He could watch her face so closely as she came apart.

"Feels so good," she whispered and leaned back for a kiss.

He brought his hand up to her jaw, turning her head more as he thrust as deep as he could go. His reward was a gasp right before his lips met hers that went straight to his balls.

"Damn," he muttered. "Can't go much longer."

She nodded or tried to. His hand kept her locked into place. She broke their kiss and threw her head back against his arm and he put his hand back on her hip, looking down, watching as she used her other hand to play with herself while his bare dick moved inside her.

He watched in a daze as her wetness coated him, and she squeezed him when she came. "Daryl, oh God, go deeper," she whispered pleadingly as she tried to make her orgasm last longer.

All of a sudden, he was yanked back to a memory long before—they were in a similar position but in the library. He had planned to pull out, but she came so suddenly that he'd just hammered into her, chasing his own end. She'd fallen asleep nearly right after, so she never knew about his fuckup. The next day he went on a run and got caught by a herd, and he just forgot about it.

Now though, he remembered and tried to pull away, but her hand went back to his hair and she pulled him into a hard kiss, twisting her tongue around his and nibbling at his lips and making him forget his own damn name.

"Love you so much," she said and kissed his jaw until she couldn't reach anymore, then she just panted against his cheek.

"Condom," he said raggedly. "Need one."

She leaned over and reached into the drawer, and he followed, separating her knees and easing her forward on her elbows as she dropped her head to the bed. He rolled the condom on as quickly as he could with shaking hands and then sank back into her, kissing up her back.

Daryl buried a hand into her hair and groaned when she tilted her head to the side, exposing her neck to him. It was just begging to be sucked and kissed.

As he leaned forward to do that, her hand slid against her pussy and then further back to cup his balls, squeezing softly and rolling them around.

"Fuck," he growled and slammed against her. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, and he knew that they didn't have much longer before they woke up the baby.

Daryl let go of her hair and palmed her ass, spreading her cheeks before sliding his thumb up against her hole. Beth leaned away, and he laughed, pushing just a little against her.

She moved from playing with his balls to sliding her fingers against her clit again, occasionally she touched his dick as he slid out, and he could tell she was getting close again.

"Ain't ever done this," he said quietly. "It could be a first for both of us."

"When hell freezes over, Daryl Dixon," she gasped out when he pushed the tip of his thumb inside her.

"C'mon, let me," he breathed out.

Beth slid away from him and turned around, pushing him down on his back. He grinned up at her, laughing quietly. She sat astride his hips, but didn't take him in. After a few seconds of her scowling at him, he placed his hands behind his head, he said, "Let's see what ya got."

"You're such an ass." She laughed and took him in her hand before sinking down on his length.

He tried to look unaffected but failed spectacularly when she started rolling her hips with each downstroke. "Damn, Beth," he gasped. "Faster, baby. Ride my dick."

"Ya got such a foul mouth," she said quietly, and she leaned down to kiss him, dragging her tongue along his bottom lip. "I like it."

"I know," he groaned and gripped her hips, pulling her down hard twice before he pulsed inside her and lost all thought.

Beth rolled off him, but not before kissing a spot on his chest where a tattoo lay. She liked his ink, too.

Once they caught their breath, he cleared his throat, unsure of what to say or to even bring up what he'd realized earlier. It's not like he planned it or even really remembered it happening. They'd been a bit drunk from some wine Rick had brought back from a run that same day. It hadn't been much, but after not drinking or having a proper meal in a long while, it went straight to their heads.

Daryl scratched at the hair on his chin and whispered, "I know when we made her."

Beth smirked. "Oh really?" Clearly she didn't realize he wasn't playing.

"That night we got drunk. In the library," he said, pushing the hair off her shoulder. "'S my fault. I didn't have any rubbers, and I didn't stop."

He watched as realization dawned on her and she nodded. "Wow."

"I'm sorry." He chewed on his lip. "Not for her, but for, ya know, accusin' you of shit when it's really me that's to blame."

"I'm not sorry about her, either," Beth said, then she kissed him softly. "Since you admit to bein' an ass, you can repay me by bringin' me back a present."

"Whatcha want?" he asked without hesitating.

Beth sighed and looked around the room before settling back on his eyes. "Something bright yellow."

"I'll get it for ya."

"More condoms." She kissed his cheek.

Daryl smirked. "Already on the list. Apparently, more and more people are fuckin' around here."

Beth giggled and cuddled closer to him. "Are we gossipin'?"

He felt his face heat up and nodded. "Guess so."

"So who's hookin' up with who?" Beth asked and leaned over his chest, her hair making a curtain around his face.

"You and me."

She rolled her eyes. "Maggie and Glenn."

"Those married people," he said, though he didn't remember their names.

"Carol and Merle were."

He tickled her side. "That one don't count no more."

Beth bit her lip and leaned closer. "Rick and Michonne," she whispered.

Daryl tilted his head to the side. "Really?"

She nodded. "Yup. Let's just say that I got an eyeful yesterday while trying to go into the laundry room."

"Oh shit." He laughed. "All right, then. Ain't gonna be able to top that," he said and started to sit up.

"Right? I was shocked at first, but then it sorta makes sense."

"Guess it does. They're close. I knew that, though."

"Well, they're _very_ close now."

She watched him fish his pants out from under the covers and pull them back on right as Odessa started fussing.

"We ain't gonna be able to mess around like this when she's a bit older," he said as he held her to his bare chest.

"I know." Beth nodded and pulled up her own jeans.

"Guess we'll be screwin' in the bathroom." Daryl laughed. "Sneakin' around again."

She wiggled her eyebrows at him and said, "I kinda like the mirror."

* * *

They set out in two trucks about an hour later. Michonne, Rick, and Tyreese in one and Daryl, Maggie, and Glenn in the other.

Hershel was in charge while Rick was gone, but Daryl didn't like leaving Beth and Odessa so unprotected. They were taking nearly all their fighters with them on the run since it was so long and required them to split up. Everyone needed to be able to hold their own, so the prison was left weakened.

They were leaving early enough so that they could do a lot of scavenging the rest of the day and the next and then be back at the prison the following evening. Only one night away from his family.

Still, it made his chest ache to walk away from them when it came time to get into the truck.

Daryl drummed his fingers on the steering wheel to some old rock CD Glenn had found in the glove compartment as he followed behind Rick. He needed to get his mind off that and stay sharp. It wouldn't do for him to be so worried about them that he got himself killed. Besides, Beth knew that if something were to happen, she was to take Odessa and run, leaving a trail he could follow, and hide. He'd find them as soon as he got back.

With a deep sigh, he mentally went over the list of things for Beth, Odessa and Judith, and the others that he kept in his shirt pocket. After that, he wondered what else he could pick up that might help but realized Beth was pretty thorough-even when jotting down luxury items.

Glenn nudged his shoulder and said, "So, ya gonna get Beth a ring any time soon?"

Daryl glanced at him out of the corner of his eye before looking back at the road.

"Y'all are together, right?" He pressed the issue. "Y'all have a kid."

Daryl reached forward and turned the radio up, effectively ending the conversation. Glenn just shook his head and looked in the backseat at Maggie, who had been sleeping since they left the prison. Truth was, it had never crossed his mind to get Beth a ring. What good what it do? What would it prove?

If he got her one, it wouldn't be for her, it would be for everyone else. She knew how he felt, and he knew what was in her heart. That was all that counted.

Even though he believed all that, he wondered if it was something she wanted and she just didn't say anything because she knew it would make him uncomfortable. Daryl didn't like the idea of wearing a ring, but he'd never done it before so it might not bother him at all. If he wore a ring, maybe it would just show everyone else that he was taken and they wouldn't fuck with him—Ally specifically.

If he gave Beth a ring, it would be an outward sign to any asshole that showed up that she wasn't available. Then if they pressed it, he could kick their ass for being so damn disrespectful.

Daryl chewed his thumbnail, thinking of all the different scenarios where a ring could be good or bad. It would be better than any other piece of jewelry that could get hung up or yanked off. Maybe earrings? He shook that thought out as quickly as it came, though. He'd like to have something if she had something.

This would be the last run they made for a while, so he wouldn't have time to go back to the prison, ask, and then go on his own to look. Wouldn't want to waste gas like that anyway.

He cursed Glenn in his thoughts and made a note to look over some rings—maybe—before they headed back.

When they made it to the first town they'd planned to stop in, they separated into groups of two. Maggie and Glenn went left, and Rick and Michonne went right; both groups were looking through the houses for food. Daryl and Tyreese were supposed to go up and down the main street, looking for anything on the lists.

They looked down one end, and Daryl pointed over to the right. "I'll go down that way, you take the other side. Holler if ya need any help."

"Be safe, man," Tyreese said as he went left.

Daryl made it through nearly all the stores before he finally found something he needed. Tyreese seemed to have better luck, but the left side held the town's pharmacy, which accounted for nearly all the things in one column on the list Beth had given him.

By the time everyone made it back to the trucks and the town was officially cleaned out, they'd managed to get a good bit of food and supplies along with putting down several walkers.

The rest of the day was spent going from town to town, gathering up stuff and dodging walkers. They didn't see a single living soul the entire time, and while that worried Daryl a little, it mostly put his mind at ease. People were terrible now, and the fewer he had to deal with, the better.

In the last town, Daryl found himself nosing through a ransacked jewelry store while Tyreese went through shops on the other side of the street. Before people realized that shit wasn't going to get better, they'd looted stores, robbed banks, broken into houses. It was complete anarchy in the days leading up to the end of the world.

This little mom-and-pop store had been hit, too, but it looked like walkers had crashed the party before they got away. The looters were mostly bones now, but the bags of necklaces and bracelets spilling out beside them led him to believe that's how things played out. After a few minutes of poking around, he found a case of rings that hadn't been disturbed. He looked it over for a minute, trying to ignore the ring that his eyes had immediately landed on. Daryl didn't know much about this sort of thing, but he figured it was never the first ring.

After looking around the rest of the store, he went back to that one case and sighed. It looked perfect to him. Delicate and pretty, like Beth. Without another moment of hesitation, he broke the glass and pulled out the platinum ring with a small square canary yellow diamond that had a few smaller regular diamonds framing it.

He found a gunmetal band for himself. It had a dark finish and wasn't something that would draw attention. It didn't really bother him when he tried it on, and he even raised his bow and took aim, seeing how it felt.

When he met back up with Tyreese, they put their haul in the back of the truck and waited for the others. He knew Tyreese had seen him in the jewelry store, but he didn't mention it to him or any of the others. He didn't know too much about Tyreese, but he appreciated his silence more than he would ever be able to say.

* * *

The following day, they split up into groups again, but since they'd gotten so much the day before, they didn't plan to go to more than two towns before heading back to the prison.

Daryl was nervous to go back—but excited, too. That ring was burning a hole in his pocket, and he knew Beth was going to love it.

Even though he was looking for supplies to fill their lists, his mind stayed on her, and he wondered just when he got so fired up about giving her a surprise. He tried to stay focused as he searched through a few stores on his side of the street, but it wasn't until he heard raised voices outside that he went into survival mode.

Once he and Tyreese made it down the street, he saw Rick and Michonne in a standoff with a group of five men.

To Daryl they looked like family, and that scared him.

He drew his bow and walked up to stand beside his group. Maggie and Glenn made it to the standoff nearly the same time he and Tyreese did.

"A bow man!" the man in the middle said loudly. "See, I know he's real 'cause not everyone can shoot a bow. Bow man's a bow man through and through."

Daryl just stared at him.

"I think I'll talk to him from now on, Officer. Never really got along with your kind."

Rick stole a quick glance at Daryl before taking a step back and allowing Daryl to take his place. He eyed the men behind the leader carefully. Each man was armed and looked like he knew what he was doing. Odds weren't good for either side if it went to a fight.

"Name's Joe," the man said, holding out his hand. He had a full beard and long hair that were graying.

"Daryl." He looked down at his hand and back up to the man, never dropping his aim. "Whatcha want?"

"Ya ain't exactly friendly, are ya?"

"Not particularly."

The group laughed and Joe smirked. "We're ain't lookin' for a fight. We were just wonderin' if ya'd seen a man passin' through here."

"Only seen us."

Joe looked at his men briefly before looking Daryl over.

"We've been followin' his trail a few days now. He killed one of our men then ran."

Daryl shrugged. "Sorry to hear that, but we ain't even from this area. We just came out to look for supplies."

"Ya track?" Joe asked, staring him up and down.

Daryl lowered his bow. "Not for y'all."

"You're my kinda people, Daryl."

He knew Joe was right, but he stayed silent. After several seconds of tense silence, Joe sighed and held up his hands. "Well, we done wasted enough time talkin'. We gotta keep movin' if we're gonna catch up to him. Ya see some redneck asshole with a knife for a hand, just go ahead and put a bullet through his knee and slow him down for us."

Years and years of keeping his face a blank mask paid off, and Daryl just shrugged. "Ain't doin' your dirty work."

"Ya know, I think you'd fit in pretty nicely over here," Joe said. "I'm sure ya could find us if ya change your mind."

They all stared as the group of men walked away, each of them eyeing Daryl and his group, their eyes straying to Maggie or Michonne for too long. Once they were far enough away, Daryl turned to Rick and said, "Get the fuck outta here now. Don't even bother with that other town, ya hear me? Those assholes ain't gonna drop this, and the prison is far enough away they won't venture that way. If they do, we got a better chance there."

"Daryl? What are ya doin'?" Rick asked as Daryl shouldered his bow and checked his gun.

"Goin' to get my brother before they find him."

"Ya can't do that," Maggie said, pushing his shoulder. "Ya ain't gonna leave my sister again. Not gonna leave Odessa like that."

His chest ached, but he shook his head. "She'll understand."

Maggie's face was turning red as Glenn wrapped an arm around her and pulled her back to their truck. He didn't look too happy, either, but he wouldn't say anything.

Daryl looked between Rick, Tyreese, and Michonne. "I gotta do this. Can't let him die like that." Each avoided meeting his eyes, and he knew they didn't think he'd make it back. He would, though. He knew he'd survive this.

"Can I steal a minute with ya, Michonne?" he asked, nodding his head to the sidewalk a few feet away.

She followed behind him and pinned him with her intense stare. "Don't do this," she said quietly. "I know he's your brother, but you're riskin' somethin' too important here."

Daryl ignored her and pulled Beth's ring out of his pocket. "Ya tell her it's the only yellow I could find."

"No." She shook her head and pulled her hand back. "I can't do that for ya."

He swallowed hard. Michonne must have seen it because, with a heavy sigh, she took the ring.

"Don't tell them, all right?" he asked. "Ya just get her off to the side and tell her I'll be back as soon as I can. Don't forget about the yellow thing, okay? Might make her smile a bit before she decides she's gonna kick my ass."

"Please be safe, Daryl. I don't even know how she'll survive if somethin' happens to you. How we'll all be able to survive."

"Ya sayin' ya got a soft spot for me?" he joked, trying to make her smile.

"Yes." She squeezed his hand. "That's a lot comin' from me."

He nodded and sighed. "See y'all around."

With a nod of his head to Rick and Tyreese, he slipped down a nearby alley and started on Joe's trail.

* * *

A/N:

Don't kill me.


	22. Chapter 22

Ch. 22

I'm so sorry I didn't get to answer your reviews! This week has been crazy for me.

Here you go...

* * *

Instead of tracking Joe's group, Daryl went around them.

He had to keep to the woods and move more quietly than he'd ever done before, but when night came, he crept in close and watched them set up camp. That was a windfall moment for him, so instead of sleeping like he wanted to, he kept pushing forward.

He retraced his steps back to his original trail and moved north, hoping to catch a break and find Merle before too long. Daryl came across a few walkers along the way but took care of them quick enough. Right before dawn, he sat down and ate a can of fruit that Beth had stuffed into his pack before he left.

He wasn't sure how much time he had on Joe's group, but he didn't figure they were the type to take the scenic route when it came to finding Merle. Despite the glaring fact that he needed sleep, Daryl put the empty can back in his pack and started walking again.

He spent most of his morning thinking about how Beth was taking the news that he'd gone off chasing Merle again, and he figured she was going to beat him senseless when he made it back to the prison. He just couldn't leave him out there, though. It wasn't in his nature to abandon his family, and if men like Joe and his group were following Merle, he definitely needed Daryl to bail him out.

It didn't matter one bit that Merle had left him high and dry weeks earlier or that he'd done it repeatedly his entire life, Daryl wasn't going to let him die. Not if he had the ability to stop it. Deep down, he knew Merle would do the same for him, too. They were blood, and that trumped everything else.

It was the middle of the afternoon when Daryl came up on a town. He searched each building and the surrounding houses before he found three freshly killed walkers on a dead-end street. What worried him more than anything was the trail of blood leading away from the walkers and into the woods. Without thinking of covering his tracks, he took off through the trees, following the blood splatters and disturbed ground.

It took him ten minutes of running before he found Merle. He was slumped over, holding his arm as he sat against a tree.

"Ya bit?" Daryl choked out before he dropped down in front of his brother.

Merle looked up at him, his eyes glassy and tired. "Ya real?"

"Yeah, man, I'm real," Daryl said quietly and tried to look at his arm.

"How'd ya find me?" he asked, closing his eyes.

Daryl just stared for a moment, his heart thumping hard in his chest. "Ran across some men that were lookin' for ya. Said you killed one of theirs."

"Mothafucka tried to take my rabbit. I slit his fuckin' throat. Don't no one take my kill like that."

Daryl nodded and reached for his arm. "Ya bit?"

Merle looked at him and shrugged. "A little."

When he took his hand away from his arm, Daryl could see the chunk that had been taken out of his forearm and the tourniquet he'd placed high on his bicep. "Fuckin' knife got stuck. Couldn't pull it out before it got me. Pretty sure I'm about to pass out."

"Ya think ya stopped that shit from getting in your system?"

He took a shaky breath and barely whispered, "Put the belt on right after. Had to get off the road— coulda gotten through; heart pumpin' so fast."

"We need to cut it off and cauterize it."

"Ain't worth it," Merle said and his head fell forward. "Lost too much blood."

Daryl moved his brother's face, feeling the fever but ignoring it, and said, "I'm gonna do this for ya. It's gonna hurt like a bitch, and you'll pass out. When it's done, I'm gonna burn it, and we're gonna get the fuck outta here. Ain't got much time before those men get here. I can't take 'em all."

"Gonna be my hero, baby brother?" Merle wheezed and closed his eyes. "Deserve this. Done some bad shit."

"No one deserve this," Daryl said as he pulled out his knife. "Try not to scream too much. Don't wanna bring 'em down on us."

"Don't," he said quietly. "Too late." Daryl held his knife right below the belt and used it to pull up Merle's sleeve, showing the red streaks moving up his arm. "Got the fever already."

He knew but didn't want to believe it. Touching his face was like standing in front of a heater.

"This isn't supposed to be how it ends," Daryl said, shaking his head. "Naw. This ain't it."

"For me it is."

"Why the fuck did ya leave?" Daryl said, wiping his cheeks. He wasn't even going to bother to hide his tears.

"Couldn't stay," Merle said and tried to clear his throat. "Ya got water?"

Daryl helped him drink a little of what was left in his canteen and sighed. "Things were good for ya at the prison."

Merle eyes rolled a little, but he focused back on Daryl. "For a bit. Didn't feel right. Didn't want me there."

"No one cared you were there, Merle. Not a damn soul."

They were quiet for a minute, Daryl watching his brother take labored breaths. Finally, Merle said, "Ya were right. Ya better than me. Much as I hate to admit it, I care about what people think of me. Ya changed. Made yaself better. That's why that girl went after ya. I tried, but I been this way too long. I can't be nothin' else."

"You were different."

"Jus' playin' a game." Merle cut in. "Now listen; I want ya to tell Carol that I'm sorry for ever hurtin' her. Make sure she knows I ain't just talkin' about the pushin'. Tell her," he took several short breathes before he could continue, "I'm sorry for everythin', okay? Don't mean shit now, but I want her to know."

Daryl's chin trembled as he held back a sob. "Let me try and get ya back. Let me help ya up and get ya in a truck."

"I'm gone, baby brother," he said rasped. "Keep that baby girl safe, ya hear? Take care your woman, too. Don't ever treat 'em like we were. World's a shitty place as it is." His breath rattled in his chest and Daryl placed his hand on over his brother's heart.

"I ain't gonna be like that."

"Good," he mumbled.

Daryl was sure he'd passed out from the pain, but a few seconds later, Merle tipped his head up and cracked his eyes opened a sliver. "Watch yaself now. Ain't got ya back no more."

He took one last shuddering breath and his chest stilled.

Sobs shook Daryl's body as he laid Merle down on the ground. He felt weight pressing on his chest, and he couldn't breathe as he looked down at his brother's body.

Daryl let his tears fall, and leaned his head down against Merle's. "I'ma miss ya," he mumbled before sitting back on his heels and taking several deep breaths.

He was almost hyperventilating as he held the knife above Merle's head and brought it down in one fluid motion. It caught halfway down, proving once and for all that Merle had a thick skull, and Daryl had to put his weight behind it to finish the rest of the job.

When he pulled the knife out, he wiped it on Merle's shirt and clipped it back into its sheath. Daryl looked at him for several minutes, complete disbelief taking over. Off in the distance, he heard people coming. As quickly as he could, he went through Merle's pockets, finding nothing, and then into the pack beside him.

There were a few cans of food, some matches, a pack of cigarettes, and finally, a stuffed puppy.

"Stupid asshole. Ya shoulda come home."

He wasn't going to be able to bury him, so he put his hand on Merle's head one last time, saying good-bye, before standing up and slinging Merle's pack over his shoulder and quickly walking away.

* * *

He traveled in a daze for several hours before bedding down for the night. The whole time he thought about Merle and realized for the first time ever, he wasn't coming back.

There wasn't going to be the relief of seeing his brother's shit-eating grin as he saved his ass from a bind or hearing his sarcastic comments when Daryl stated something obvious.

His daughter would never know her surly uncle, who would have given his life for her.

The thought that killed him the most was that his last remaining link to the world _before_ was gone.

He had no one who knew what he was like when he was a kid. No one to threaten to tell embarrassing stories from when he was a teenager. No one who could truly understand how desperate he'd been to get away from his father or the complete sadness of losing his mother like he had.

He was the only person left who knew those stories, and when he was gone, they would be gone with him. It was a depressing thought and burdened him something terrible as he tried to catch some sleep before completing his journey home.

That night he dreamed of hunting with Merle. It was before the turn; Merle had just gotten kicked out of the military and was still pissy about the whole thing. He'd taken to selling weed to make money since no one was hiring a guy who'd been dishonorably discharged from working for good old Uncle Sam.

Neither talked during the dream; he just followed his brother around the woods. Right at the end, the trail they were on forked, and with a sad smirk, Merle turned right while Daryl continued left.

* * *

A sense of dread settled over him because of the dream. He spent the morning in a haze, trying to move swiftly through the woods. The sooner he could get back to the prison, the better.

He didn't pause for lunch even though he was starving from skipping breakfast. He pulled out a can of food out of his pack and walked and drank the peas out of the can.

He figured he was about two hours from the prison when it happened.

An arrow buzzed right by his shoulder, and he dropped to the dirt. Crawling as quickly as he could around the tree, he pulled his own bow over his shoulder.

A man came into his line of sight, and as quickly as he could aim, he took him out. By his count, that left four men from Joe's group still somewhere surrounding him.

"C'mon out," Joe called. "Ya caused enough damage, don't ya think?"

"I think I'll stay right here," he yelled back.

"Ya done killed one of our friends. That's gonna cost ya."

Daryl shuffled to the right and looked around the tree, but he only saw Joe with a man on either side of him. He wondered where the other one was at.

"Now, tell me. Why did we find _you_ at the end of these tracks? Thought ya were headin' home, but it seems to me that ya went after the man we were lookin' for. Put 'im down."

Daryl debated briefly on whether to lie before he just went with the truth. "He's my brother. He left a while ago, and I didn't know where he was until we ran into y'all."

"Killed your own brother?"

"He got bit. Ended it before he turned but after he died from the fever." Daryl explained as he looked around for the other man. He heard the gun cock before he saw it, and his shoulders sagged.

"Ya know, since you're bein' so open, I think we'll try and make this quick for ya," Joe said as he walked around the tree. "Put down that bow."

He was outnumbered and outgunned. His heart was beating double time and adrenaline was pumping through his veins. He threw his bow up and clocked Joe across the jaw, but that was the only good hit he got in before they were on him, knocking him to the ground. An arrow pierced his right shoulder, pinning him to the ground.

They took off his pack and his knife before a couple of them started kicking his ribs. He tried to roll up into a ball, but his shoulder wouldn't let him. His world started to blacken around the edges after a strong kick to his head.

"Please," he whispered. "Stop."

They laughed and Joe kneeled next to him. His eye was swelling shut and the other had blood dripping from his eyelashes.

"What was that, pussy?"

Daryl swallowed hard, hating the words as they came out. "Please stop."

"Why would we do that? Life for a life, Daryl."

"I gotta little girl. She's just a baby." He coughed and spit out some blood. "Gotta woman. They won't survive if I'm gone. Please," he begged one last time before he lost the strength to hold his head up.

He thought back to a long time ago when he'd begged his daddy to stop swinging his belt and his daddy had just laughed and told him a real man never begged for anything. Beth's and Odessa's faces flashed through his mind, and he found that he didn't give a shit what his old man had said. He wasn't begging for his life. He was begging for theirs.

"Guess he's tellin' the truth on that," a voice behind him said, and he opened his eyes to see him hand over his picture to Joe. Beth had stashed it inside his pack right before he'd left.

He thought about what Joe was seeing. A beautiful young blonde, a cute little baby, and him with his arm wrapped around Beth's shoulders and his hand on Odessa's belly. He'd never been happier for Glenn's camera than in that moment. If they killed him, he hoped he'd get to look at the picture one more time beforehand.

"How the fuck did ya manage that?" Joe laughed and passed the picture around. "That's a pretty little thang ya got there, Daryl."

"Little ones don't last all that long on their own," another man added.

The picture fluttered down and landed right in front of Daryl, and he caught Beth's smile.

"Tell ya what, Daryl," Joe said. "I'm feelin' generous today, so here's the deal. You can get outta this bind before that rotter gets to ya, ya can walk out of here and go on home."

Daryl glanced past Joe's shoulder to the walker that was staggering toward the group. He looked to be in pretty decent shape for a walker, and Daryl wasn't even able to stand.

"If ya kill it, I'll even let ya have your bow back."

He looked at Joe and nodded. "I get outta this, and ya won't follow me?"

"Naw, we got better shit to do," Joe said and nodded south. "Goin' to Savannah."

Joe's group backed away from Daryl, opening the circle for the walker to come closer. It seemed to hone in on Daryl and stumbled his way instead of toward the others.

"Time's wastin'," one man said, laughing quietly.

The arrow was imbedded in the ground a little, but if he pulled up hard enough, he could yank it out. He reminded himself that he'd done this before, except that time it had been two walkers. This time it was just one. He could do this. He could do this for Beth and Odessa.

Daryl kicked his legs up and with the downward momentum, he heaved his body up, letting out a choked yell as the arrow came out of the ground and tore his shoulder a little. He stumbled back against the tree, panting as the walker got within arms' reach of him. Without a second thought, he dodged the walker, feeling something on his back scrape against tree.

He breathed a sigh of relief, realizing that they'd missed his gun when they yanked off his pack. Daryl pulled it from the waist of his jeans, and every single one of Joe's men jumped back, scrambling away from him as he aimed and shot the walker between the eyes.

The walker slumped to the ground, and Daryl turned toward Joe. "Can I go now?"

"Ain't gonna try and kill us?" Joe asked, eyeing him up and down.

"Naw," Daryl said and spit out more blood. "Just wanna go home."

A tense silenced filled the air as Joe and Daryl squared off. Finally, Joe shrugged. "Take your shit and head out." He motioned to his weapons and the picture, clearly meaning they would be keeping the food and the packs.

"I want the puppy that's in the pack." Daryl panted.

Joe nodded, and one of the men searched through the bag, pulled out the dog, and tossed it at his feet. He struggled to bend down and ended up falling to his knees, picking up the dog, the picture, his knife, and bow before standing back up.

Daryl stood in silence as the group walked past him and into the woods. He stayed there for a long time, gathering his strength and trying to calm his racing heart. There wasn't a doubt in his mind that Joe and the group had left him, but he couldn't shake the feeling that it was too good to be true.

He'd lost his brother, got the shit kicked out of him, begged, and tore up his damn shoulder all in two days.

In truth though, it wasn't just the last couple of days, the last few _weeks_ had blown. All starting with Merle leaving, and now, ending with his death.

After waiting for a while, Daryl took his first step toward home. His ribs and body were aching and his shoulder caused him to hunch in on himself. There was no way he'd be able to pull out the bolt without help, so he just grinned and beared it as he took the long walk home.

* * *

Time had no meaning for him as he trudged through the woods. He was moving in the right direction, but his other eye had swollen up, and he barely had any vision left. He was thirsty and hungry. Sleepy, too, but that might have been the concussion talking.

Still, he kept on walking. Once the sun had set and he still hadn't made it to the prison, he settled against the trunk of a tree and rested. It didn't matter how hard he tried to stay awake, he still fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

The sun woke him, and he groaned before looking around. Daryl knew he was close to the prison, and he wished he'd kept walking the night before, but it was no use now.

After twenty minutes, he broke through the trees and started across the prison yard. In his rush to get to the gate, he tripped over a broken branch and hit his knees. The impact jarred his body and caused him so much pain that he just fell forward into the dirt.

He lay there, suddenly feeling heavy and tired again. When he heard someone yelling his name, he closed his good eye—with the realization that he was safe and home, Daryl gave in to the darkness again.

* * *

A/N:

I'm sorry.


	23. Chapter 23

Ch. 23

Thank you all so much for reviewing and sticking with this story!

* * *

Beth got nervous every time they went on a run. It wasn't something she could turn off or downplay. Before, if you ran out for groceries, there was always a chance you might get in a wreck and die or get shot—maybe even kidnapped. Now, the likelihood of something terrible happening had increased significantly and there were barely any living people around anymore.

A simple scratch could destroy her world.

The first day Daryl and the others were gone, she went about her business as usual. Odessa rested in the sling across her chest as she hung laundry and made dinner. When she laid her down for the night, she went about straightening their cell and folding their freshly cleaned clothes.

When Beth woke up the second morning, she couldn't shake the unease that had settled over her. Maybe it was waking up in bed alone or that Daryl wasn't there to help with Odessa's breakfast like he normally did. She couldn't pinpoint it, and she couldn't shake it.

"You're gonna wear a hole in the floor," Carol said after lunch.

Beth stopped, realizing for the first time that she'd been pacing the length of the kitchen while chewing on her thumbnail like Daryl always did. She pulled her finger from between her teeth and shrugged.

"Can't help it. Just want 'em to hurry up and get back. I hate when they go on long runs."

Carol nodded. "I understand. It's all up in the air until the gate closes behind them." She looked over at the pack-n-play Beth had pulled into the kitchen. "Ya haven't been lettin' your daddy watch her."

The statement made Beth stop again. "No. I don't really know why. Just want her with me right now."

She hated the look of sadness in Carol's eyes so she turned away. Lately, when she looked at Carol, all she saw was Lizzie with her arm pulled through the fence or Sophia walking out of her daddy's barn. The thought of Odessa meeting a fate like that turned her stomach, and she just wanted to find a tower and lock her little family away.

"Everythan's goin' to be fine, Beth." Carol patted her shoulder and walked out the door to the main area.

Beth nodded and tried to smile but failed. Once Carol was gone, she went to where Odessa was sleeping and searched her daughter's face. The older she got, the more she looked like Daryl. Her eyes were his completely. So were her lips and her little ears. Then sometimes Odessa would grin and Beth would be shocked at how closely she resembled herself.

She was a perfect blend of both of them.

Beth let out a deep sigh and closed her eyes. "It's all gonna be okay," she whispered to herself.

* * *

It was late afternoon when she heard someone yell that the trucks were heading up the driveway.

Beth held Odessa and walked as fast as she could out the C block door and into the yard to wait for them to pull up. From a distance, she could see that the entire bed of the first truck was loaded down, and her hopes picked up. A good run meant a while before the next one, and that might not be until winter when the walkers were moving slower.

The drive up to the gate and inside seemed to take forever, but really took less than a minute. Beth couldn't see inside the second truck until she rounded the hood of the first one. Her heart dropped to her feet, and she squeezed Odessa tight. All of a sudden, the world seemed to blur before her eyes.

"Where's Daryl?" she asked, her voice bordering on hysterical. When Rick stepped forward and looked at the ground, she choked back a sob. "Where is he?"

"We don't really know," he said quietly. "If we could talk by ourselves, that would be best, I think."

"I don't wanna wait. I wanna know where he is! Was there a herd? Did y'all get separated? Did he try and distract them while y'all ran?" She'd walked up and was nearly stepping on Rick's feet by the time she finished. Her father stepped up beside her and rested a hand on her shoulder.

Michonne came forward and touched her hand. "Come with me."

The look in her eyes told her it wasn't a request, and Beth nodded. When they were away from everyone else, Michonne stopped and took Odessa out of Beth's arms.

"We ran into a group of men," Michonne said. Her voice was controlled as she relayed the rest of the story to Beth, and when she reached the end, Beth was holding her hands into such tight fists that she could feel her fingernails making marks.

"He left to find Merle?" she asked, closing her eyes.

"Yes. He said he couldn't leave him on his own like that and that you'd understand."

Tears slid down Beth cheeks as she took a shaky breath. "You said there were five men in this group?"

Michonne hesitated then nodded. After several seconds, she cleared her throat. "There's something else."

"I don't know if I can take much more," she whispered and shook her head.

"I didn't wanna do this 'cause it could go badly, ya know? I give this to ya and he shows up and you're mad it wasn't him, or I wait and give it to ya if he doesn't come back at all, and you're devastated."

"Just tell me now," Beth said, shaking from nerves.

Michonne rooted around in her pack before turning back to Beth with a closed fist. "He said it was the only yellow he could find." Then she opened her palm to reveal a beautiful ring.

The laugh that bubbled from her lips sounded truly hysterical, but she couldn't stop it. Her daddy and Maggie came over to try and calm her down, but she managed that on her own.

She wiped the tears off her cheeks, picked up the ring, and slipped it into her pocket before taking Odessa back.

"Ya all right?" Maggie asked while Michonne looked on, more concerned than before.

"Oh, I'm fine. It's Daryl you're gonna have to worry about. When he makes it back here, I'm gonna kill him."

Then she turned and stomped into the prison. She had never been madder at that man. They'd been doing so well together. Helping each other out, talking more, getting closer. Even after what happened with Lizzie and their fight, they'd managed to be stronger from it. Now he was sending back a ring with someone else because he wasn't sure he was coming home.

How does that help anything?

She didn't want a ring. She wanted him.

Deep down, Beth understood the need to look out for family and to try to save your blood. She wasn't even mad that he ran off looking for Merle. She was upset that he went on his own and didn't take backup, and she was furious that he gave the ring to Michonne when he should have saved it to give to her himself.

Beth knew how Daryl felt about her and Odessa. She didn't need a ring to prove anything, but it seemed like he was sending the ring in his stead, like some cheap replacement, and that just wasn't going to fly.

When she made it back to their cell and had settled down, she sat down on the bed and let Odessa nurse, brushing her fingers through the ever-darkening blonde hair. "He'll be back soon," she said quietly.

She took a few more minutes to let her initial anger drain away, and then she began to pray. She asked to get Daryl back home in one piece. Beth looked at Odessa and prayed for her safety—prayed she'd grow up feeling secure and they wouldn't have to run anymore.

Then she spent a long time asking God to save Merle Dixon, to get him out of whatever situation he'd found himself in once again and bring him back home. She asked for him to see how he could change or even just be who he was, as long as he was here and with his brother. Then, she took a shaky breath and prayed that if Merle was supposed to go now, that it was quick and that he didn't turn.

Beth almost started to ask the same for Daryl, but she couldn't bring herself to say the words.

* * *

Odessa slept well through the night, but Beth tossed and turned. She got up and wrote in her journal at one point, but her thoughts were just so sad she hoped no one would ever read them, so she closed the book and put it away.

When she did sleep, her dreams were awful. Finally, Beth gave up.

She gently picked up Odessa, laid her in the pack-n-play in the kitchen, and started making breakfast. It was a lot earlier than they were used to, but she had to keep busy somehow.

And that was how the next three days went.

Beth woke up before everyone else and made breakfast so early that if anyone wanted it hot, they had to wake up, too. The kids would eat and go back to bed while the adults went about their jobs for the day. Because of her, everyone's day finished way before dinner in the evenings, but she didn't think any of them appreciated the early wake-up calls.

Rick tried to talk to her, but she brushed him off, saying that she was completely fine and if he didn't want her to react this way, he should have knocked some sense into Daryl instead of letting him wander off by himself.

Then she apologized with a sigh. "It's not your fault at all. No one can talk sense into that man. I'm just worried."

"I know. I'm sorry. If he's not back soon, we'll try and find him."

"What if there's nothin' to find?" she asked quietly, looking up at Rick. "That's the only thing I see when I close my eyes."

He looked away and wiped his hand across his face. "I know what ya mean."

"That was a shitty thang of me to say," she said with remorse as she thought about Lori.

"It's somethin' that's a real concern now. I wouldn't wish it on anyone." Rick's voice was quiet and his eyes held a faraway look. "We'll get him back, Beth."

She nodded and went back to folding clothes. When that was finished, she picked up a blanket, and even though Odessa was asleep in the sling, she went outside to sit on the grass.

After a few minutes of being out in the sun, Odessa woke up smiling and looking around. Soon, she was sitting up on her own and patting the blanket. She loved being outside, and unless she fell asleep, she always cried when they brought her back in. Beth knew it was in her blood to want to be outdoors. She was just like her daddy in that regard, and it wouldn't surprise her if Daryl took her hunting when she was older.

He'd sure teach her to defend herself and shoot. He'd already told Beth that much.

Beth smiled and touched the grass. "Grass." Odessa just babbled, ignoring her completely. "Clouds." Beth pointed up at the sky, and she followed her finger, squinting. After more noises from the baby, Beth pointed to herself. "Mama."

That made Odessa laugh and pat Beth's leg. "Ya liked that? Can ya say it? Mama."

She had no luck with that, but Beth knew it wasn't likely she would talk soon and know what she was saying. She'd read in a baby book that even if Odessa did say short words like that right now, it wasn't really talking, just mimicking. She wanted to call the author a killjoy for ruining something special like that but figured they were dead anyway.

"Can you say 'da'?" she asked. "Dada."

This went on for a long while before Beth stopped waiting on her to respond with the word. She loved listening to her giggles, so they started playing with her stuffed giraffe. A short while later, Glenn busted out of the watchtower and ran for the fence. Thinking walkers were coming, Beth stood quickly with Odessa and backed toward the cellblock.

The exit plan she'd made up in her mind was playing over and over in her head, and right as she went to go get her father, she heard Glenn yell, "Help! Daryl's hurt!"

Just like days before when she didn't see him in the truck, her heart dropped and she felt like she couldn't breath. Everyone outside started running and shouting for more help, and Beth stood frozen. She knew she couldn't run out there with Odessa, so as soon as Hershel came through the door to C block, she handed her to him and took off through the gate before he could even reach out and stop her.

There were a few walkers in the yard, but they weren't a threat. Too far away from her and from one another to cause any concern.

She was halfway across the yard when Rick and Glenn hoisted Daryl up between them and dragged him along as his head lolled to the side. She knew there was blood, but the closer she got the more visible his injuries became. Beth cringed at the arrow sticking through his shoulder but slapped a hand over her mouth as she saw his beaten face in full detail when she finally reached them. There wasn't a doubt in her mind that the damage didn't stop there, and she prayed they hadn't beaten him so badly that he had internal bleeding.

"He's unconscious, Beth," Rick said as he tried to push past her. "Ain't nothin' you can do. We need to get inside."

Beth nodded, turned back to the prison, and took off running again. When she made it to the yard, she ran to her daddy and said, "You're gonna have to take an arrow from his shoulder, and there's no tellin' what's lying beneath his shirt. They beat him bad." Her voice was shaking as badly as her hands.

Hershel looked away and nodded. "I need ya to be calm right now, Beth. Take the baby and go gather up some supplies for me, okay?"

Beth hugged Odessa to her chest and went inside to do as her father asked.

* * *

She hadn't been allowed in the cell while her daddy treated Daryl. He didn't wake up once during the whole thing, and that worried Beth beyond belief. Hershel said he was probably just worn out and had a concussion, so his body had shut down to let him heal. Beth thought that was a bunch of bullshit and told her daddy so.

"There's nothin' left for us to do, Beth." Hershel said, sighing heavily. "I can't make him wake up. Just try and get him to drink some water; feed him some broth. We need to watch his wounds for infection and make sure we keep 'em clean, but we can't make him do somethin' he ain't ready for."

After that dressing down from her father, Beth tried to rein in her emotions. She sat beside their bed and tried to get him to drink some water only to have him choke it back up. She thought that might have woken him, but he just settled back into sleep as soon as the coughing passed.

She finally fell asleep beside him, curling against his side but careful not to hurt him even more. It was the middle of the night when Odessa woke her up, crying. After changing her diaper and settling back against the pillows, she began to nurse. Beth rocked slowly and sang a lullaby to her as her eyes started to droop.

This time of the night always felt special to Beth. She was giving her child comfort and sustenance, and she couldn't think of anything more amazing than that. After she fell back asleep, Beth laid her back down and then sat down beside Daryl.

She could pretend for just a little while that he was sleeping and that he hadn't woken up with Odessa because he'd had such a trying day. That was why she hadn't looked at him sooner.

Now, she reached out cautiously to trail a finger down his jaw. He was scruffy and bruised. It broke her heart to see him like that and not know what happened. After running her fingertip over his jaw a second time, she realized he was giving off a lot more heat than she'd expect from just being out in the sun for the day.

"No," she whispered and placed her hand over his forehead. He was burning up, and he hadn't been when she'd lain down beside him earlier.

Her daddy had told her there weren't any bites or scratches on him, but that didn't mean that walker blood hadn't gotten into his wound. Or that someone hadn't shot him with an arrow that hadn't been properly cleaned. What if his body had been so badly beaten that he was shutting down and the fever was taking over?

Beth's heart was racing as she went downstairs and charged into her father's cell. "Daddy! Daddy, wake up!" He rolled over faster than she thought he could and stared up at her. "Daryl's got a fever."

His lips settled into a thin line, and he nodded. "I'll be right there."

After another examination, he looked over at Beth and sighed. "We need some antibiotics. I'm pretty sure his shoulder's infected. I knew the arrow had been there for a while, but I thought with cleaning it as well as we did that it would take care of it. Run downstairs and get the medicine bag, and we'll start him on it."

"It's not 'cause he's gonna turn, right?"

"I don't believe so," he answered, not looking back up at her.

* * *

The following two days were awful.

After they got a couple of doses of antibiotics into his system, he started groaning and tossing in his sleep. He said her name a lot, but most of the time he mumbled and she couldn't understand him. She got him to drink and eat just enough to get by.

When he did open his eyes, they were unfocused. Her heart broke when he reached out to the side and whispered his brother's name. Then he fell back to sleep.

In the middle of the afternoon on the second day, Michonne stopped by their cell and took Beth's hand. "Ya need to rest. You're runnin' yourself ragged takin' care of him and the baby."

"They need me," she said and sighed.

"Tell ya what? Has Odessa ate recently?" Beth nodded and looked over to where Odessa was sitting on the floor with all her toys, a pillow behind her and on each side in case she toppled over. "Okay. I'm gonna take her outside for a bit, and you can nap while he's out, too."

Beth was too tired to argue. Instead she nodded, and Michonne took Odessa from the room. Then she rolled over and gave in to sleep.

* * *

"Beth?"

The voice was gruff, and she burrowed her head further under the covers.

"Songbird?"

She popped up immediately and saw Daryl trying to peek over at her. The swelling in his eyes hadn't gone down all that much at all.

"I'm here," she said, taking his hand. "Right here. Do you need anythin'?"

"How am I here?" he asked and laid his head down against the pillow again.

"Ya showed up on your own. Ya passed out, though, so Glenn and Rick had to haul ya in from the yard."

He hummed. "Water?"

"Of course." She stood and poured some into the plastic cup she'd been using and helped him sit up. He took the cup from her and drank it down before settling back against the bed.

"How's Odessa?" he asked, turning his head in her direction but keeping his eyes closed.

"She's good. Not a single problem since ya've been gone."

"And you?"

Beth paused for a few seconds. "I could kill ya, but I want ya around more than that."

Daryl nodded and turned his head away from her. "'M sorry." His words were slurred, and sure enough, he soon fell back asleep, leaving Beth with nothing but questions.

* * *

That was how their conversations went for the next couple of days. He'd ask her questions and then sleep. She'd try to talk to him, but he wouldn't respond. Finally he just said, "I'll talk about it when I'm ready. Need to heal."

Beth walked out after that and let Carol take care of him for the rest of the day. She knew he needed time and she should be grateful he was alive and getting better, but she also wanted to know everything that had gone on. She wanted to know what happened to Merle, and how Daryl ended up beaten so badly.

When she came back from helping with laundry that afternoon, Carol was gone and Rick was in her place. As soon as she stepped through the cell door with Odessa, Rick called out her name loudly. Daryl stopped talking and seemed to fold on himself.

"Don't mind me," she said. "Just getting 'Dessa a diaper, and I'll be gone."

Awkward silence filled the room as she took care of Odessa and then started back out of the cell. She paused for just a second, and when she heard Daryl pick up his conversation with Rick, she held back tears and walked away.


	24. Chapter 24

Ch. 24

Thank you so much for reading and reviewing!

This is the last chapter before the epilogue. It will post on Wednesday!

* * *

Daryl laid his head back on the pillow, feeling dizziness settle over him. He hated the lasting effects of his concussion and really wished he'd had the opportunity to fuck all those guys up.

He'd been in and out for days, having medicine shoved down his throat along with all the water and soup Beth could get him to swallow. He appreciated her, he really did, but at the same time he hated the fact that she had to help him with every little thing.

Then there was the talking. He knew she wanted answers, but he didn't want to talk about it yet. It was still too fresh and hurt too much, and he didn't want to tell her how he got them to stop wailing on him. Daryl didn't like the idea of telling her that he'd begged them to stop instead of just fighting his way back like he'd always done.

When he did tell her, he was sure she'd try and comfort him by saying he'd never been in that position before. Losing Merle like that had broken him to the point he couldn't react the way he normally would have. He knew that was the case himself, but he didn't want to hear it from her. He didn't want her to know how weak he could be.

He was reaching a breaking point when Rick finally showed up. For some reason, Beth had left him with Carol around, and he'd told her that Merle was gone. He couldn't see her all that well out of his good eye, and that made him worry he'd have permanent vision loss, but it helped because he didn't have to see her tears. He only heard them.

She sat down beside him, and he gave her Merle's words. She just patted his hand and stood up.

"I'm gonna have to go lie down for a little while, okay? I'll send someone else up."

Daryl nodded. "Give me some time, too."

A good hour later, Rick walked in, looked around the room, and pulled the curtain shut.

"Carol send ya?"

"Naw, she said ya wanted to be alone. I gave ya some time."

"Whatcha need?"

"What happened?"

Daryl swallowed past the lump in his throat and shook his head. "Found him the next day. Got bit on the arm. By the time I found him, it was too late, so I stayed with him 'til it happened then I stopped it."

"'M sorry," Rick said quietly.

"Me, too."

Rick didn't press any further and Daryl was grateful. "Do we need to worry about the men that did this to ya?"

As he was about to answer, the curtain moved and he turned to get a peek of blonde hair. He hunched his shoulders without even thinking about it and looked down at the comforter.

"Don't mind me," she said. "Just getting 'Dessa a diaper, and I'll be gone."

It went against everything inside him to not speak, to let her go without a word, but he just couldn't figure out what to say yet. Instead, he listened as she took care of their daughter and then walked back out without another word.

"Ya ain't gotta worry about anythin'," Daryl said to Rick. "Ain't gonna come 'round here."

"You and Beth all right?"

"We will be." He sighed. "When ya see her again, can ya tell her to come back?"

"Yeah, of course."

* * *

Beth came back to see him a few minutes later. He heard his little girl babbling and smiled at the sound.

"For a second," he said quietly, "I didn't think I'd ever hear that again."

The bed dipped down beside him, and Beth's shoulder touched his as she scooted over.

"It was really bad, then?" she asked in a whisper.

"Let me hold her." Daryl held out his hands, and Beth placed Odessa on his lap. He took strength from the little girl who was holding onto his fingers as he answered, "Yeah. Things got really bad."

"Do ya wanna tell me?" she asked, resting her hand on his knee.

"Don't really wanna tell anyone," he confessed quietly.

They sat in silence for a few minutes before he said, "Merle's dead." Even though his eye was nearly shut still, he felt wetness seep from the corner as Beth tried to cover a small sob.

"Did ya get there in time?"

"Yeah. I's with him when he passed."

Even though she barely knew him, never really had lots of deep conversations with him or even got along with him all that well when it came to certain things, she cried for his brother. Her heart poured out for Daryl's loss, and he felt it all through the connection of her shoulder and her hand.

"Who did this to ya?"

The question he'd been dreading was finally out in the open. Before he could tell her it was some random group of guys that had tried to steal from him or something like that, he just told her the truth.

"Same group of men that were huntin' Merle. They tracked me from where he was. There were five of 'em, and I couldn't do shit."

Beth leaned her forehead against his shoulder, and he could feel the wetness through his shirt.

"I can't believe that someone would do that. Leave ya out in the open for walkers after ya were hurt so badly. This world is terrible, Daryl."

He nodded and then said, "It is, but I asked 'em to stop, and they did. The leader said if I could get away from the walker that was comin', he'd let me alone."

"Oh my God, Daryl."

"I know." His voice was far too quiet.

"I can't believe that there was a walker comin' and they were just gonna watch. The condition you were in? Were your eyes even open?"

"One of 'em. Partially at least."

"Did ya kill 'em?"

The venom in her voice surprised him, but he just shook his head. "Too many of 'em. Lucky they let me have my bow and knife back."

"Pieces of shit," she muttered.

Daryl sat there for a while, choosing his words very carefully before he said, "They had a code. It was stupid as hell, but it's what they followed. The only reason I'm here right now is 'cause I'm a little bit like 'em. The only reason they stopped is 'cause I begged. I'm sure they got a laugh out of it later on down the road."

"I couldn't care less if you promised to blow 'em after ya killed the walker. You're here. That's what matters. Not that ya asked for mercy, Daryl. Me and Odessa need ya, and as much as ya hate admittin' it to outsiders, you need me and Odessa."

Daryl laughed but then cringed when his ribs ached so badly he doubled over, smooshing Odessa a little. He came close to cursing, but Odessa slapped his hand and started screeching, "Dada dada dada!"

"Figures." Beth laughed and picked the baby up out of his hands. "Mama?"

"Da!"

They sat together on the bed, Daryl wishing he could see Odessa's laughing face as Beth tried to get to her say "mama" but only got "da" out of her.

It was later, once the baby was asleep, that Daryl pulled Beth against him and kissed the top of her head. "Just for the record, I ain't gonna be suckin' anybody's dick."

"I'd certainly hope not." She laughed and sighed against his shoulder. "I just wanted ya back home and safe."

"Me, too."

"I don't want ya goin' out again. Ever," she whispered.

"I know, songbird. I know."

* * *

It took over a week for the swelling in his eyes to go down, and when it did, he noticed the peripheral vision in his left eye was a little hazy. He didn't mention that to anyone, though, and hoped it would straighten itself out before too long.

When he finally got up and around, the group seemed to treat him with kid gloves at first, and he put all that shit to rest as quick as he could. He almost tore the stitches in his shoulder doing it, but it was worth it to see their wide-eyed stares as he hauled a deer up to the gate and dropped it down on the gravel.

"Hey, He-Man," Beth said and kissed his neck as she hugged him.

"Ya startin' shit?" he asked, trying to hold her in place, but she poked his bad shoulder and he cringed away.

"Ya don't have to prove anythin' to anyone."

He stared into her bright blue eyes and remembered his brother saying something similar when he started looking for the things on her list so long ago.

"I know. Can't help it."

She pushed some hair off his forehead and nodded. "You're a good man, ya know that?"

"Maybe ya gotta keep remindin' me sometimes."

Beth raised up on her toes, and he closed the distance between them, kissing her softly. "I think I can handle that," she said against his lips before giving him a slow kiss.

Daryl held his hands up beside her since they were covered in blood, but he didn't back away. It had been the most contact they'd had since the day he left of the run. Finally, she placed a soft peck against his lips and stepped back.

"I'll see ya around, _Mr. Dixon_."

As he watched her walk back into C block, it hit him like a fucking truck. The ring he'd found and given to Michonne for Beth. No one had even mentioned it to him, and he'd completely forgotten about it.

"Holy shit," he muttered and took off for their cell. He'd left the ring he'd taken for himself in the jeans he'd been wearing that day, and chances were, Beth had already washed them and put them back up. She'd have seen it.

_She had to have seen it. _

Their cell was empty, for which he was grateful, and he went to the corner were his dirty clothes should have been only to find they were gone. He figured they would be, though, so he went to his drawer, and sure enough, there were his jeans. Cleaned and folded.

He ran a hand through the pockets of his jeans, knowing that was where he left the ring, but it wasn't there anymore.

"Shit," he muttered and stood up.

"Whatcha doin'?" Beth asked as she walked into the room. Odessa was propped up on her hip and staring at him, too.

"Just lost somethin'."

Beth's brow creased in mock confusion. "What could ya have lost? Ya don't really carry small things around." Beth tapped a finger to her chin then to Odessa's nose. "What could daddy have had that was so small, but so important that he ran all this way like that?"

"Ya know what I lost," he said then rubbed his hand over his mouth. "Where'd ya put it?"

Beth smirked. "I think ya got some explain' to do first."

"Just tell me what ya want to know." Daryl walked toward her, holding up his hands in surrender.

"Did ya really think I'd want that if you weren't comin' home? That I'd take some token of affection in place of you? That was a shitty thang to do. Plus, ya never even gave me reason to believe that was somethin' ya wanted. It was such an out-of-character thang to do."

Daryl shrugged. "Glenn put the idea in my head. I didn't think of sendin' it in my place really. Just thought it would be nice to give ya somethin' if I wasn't comin' back, and figured it would make ya less mad at me if I got back home after all."

"You're such a man." She scoffed. "First off, this wasn't even your idea?" She pulled the ring from her pocket. "Glenn told ya to find me a ring, and ya went along with it. So, ya don't really want me to wear it?"

"I want ya to wear it," he said quickly.

"Why?"

He shook his head. "Dammit, woman. I want ya to wear it so if we get new people, they'll know you're taken. Gonna wear the one ya took from me so these bitches around here will know I got an old lady and they'll stop attackin' me."

Beth didn't seem impressed with his answer at all. " 'Old lady'?"

"It's a fuckin' term of endearment where I come from."

"So ya want me to wear this ring as a sign of ownership for other men to see?" This time she barely contained her smile when he huffed and tried to walk past her.

"Don't own shit. Just wanted ya to have somethin' pretty. Maggie's got a little ring, ya know? I don't think I'd mind one too much. Ain't sayin' let's go get your daddy and exchange vows—mostly 'cause I think we've already done it and we're past that part."

"So, why?"

He stared at her for a minute then said, "'Cause I love ya, and I want everyone to know you're mine. That Odessa's mine."

Beth's gaze softened, and she sent him one of her sweet smiles. "I really think it's beautiful. I wish it had been you to give it to me."

Daryl sighed heavily. "Give it to me." He held his hand out, and she dropped it into his palm. He licked his lips, took her left hand, and slid it on her finger. "So ya can't get rid of me so easy."

"Well, then," she said, fishing around in her pocket again, and pulled out the simple gunmetal band he'd picked up. "Here's hopin' ya never break your finger 'cause I think daddy'd have to cut it off."

"Weren't real typical things to say when exchangin' rings, huh?" he asked, looking down at his feet.

"Naw, but what do we do that's typical?"

"True." He laughed softly. "So, I guess it's all official, then."

"As we can get it, anyways," she answered back.

Daryl leaned down and kissed her and then kissed Odessa's forehead. "Guess I better get back to cleanin' that deer. We'll have a nice dinner to celebrate."

"But only us will know," she whispered and grinned up at him.

"Yeah, it'll be our own little secret. For about two seconds."

Turned out, it was less than that. Everyone seemed to notice the ring on her finger almost instantly—like they'd had some radar built in for that shit. The women said how pretty it was and complimented him on picking it out. He turned red and walked away as quickly as he could. There were a few raised eyebrows at his new accessory, but no one dared say a word about it—to him at least.

After dinner that night, he and Beth went upstairs and got ready for bed, laying Odessa down pretty quickly. Beth went to clean up in the bathroom, and Daryl lay back in the bed. He noticed the picture Glenn had taken on the bedside table and picked it up, smiling at his little family.

His finger traced over Beth's and Odessa's faces and then he placed it back against the book that Beth used to prop it up. The picture fell, and as he went to straighten it, he noticed small writing on the back that hadn't been there before.

This time his fingers brushed over the words that Beth had written on the back:

_Daryl, Beth, and Odessa Dixon. _

_Three years after the turn. _

He sat there for a long while and stared at the words, trying to full appreciate all that he'd gained in such a short time. Beth had told him that it mattered who he was now, and he believed that, but he'd never forgot who he'd been or how he'd gotten that way.

Daryl was all of that still, but he'd gained perspective and lost the chip on his shoulder. The anger still lay below the surface, simmering, but he was getting better at controlling it. With Beth's help and love, he imagined he wouldn't even be recognizable emotionally if he ever came across someone from his past.

He'd never fully trust people apart from his group, and he'd probably scare the hell out of any boy that came around his daughter. _If_ there were ever any other boys.

_If they made it that long._

He pushed that thought out of his mind just as quickly as it came. There wasn't a chance in hell that he'd let that happen. Daryl would give his life to see Odessa safe.

A few minutes later, Beth came into the room with her sleep clothes on and her hair piled on her head. She curled up against him and groaned.

"Ya okay?"

"Cramps," she said and sighed against his shoulder.

"Damn, it's been a long time since ya had those."

"I know. I figured with Odessa nursin' it would be a while still, but apparently not."

Daryl was quiet for a minute but then said, "Least ya ain't pregnant again."

Beth laughed, and as though there were people listening outside their cell, she whispered, "Maggie is, though."

He looked down at her and grinned. "Atta boy, Glenn."

"No one knows yet. Not even him, so ya gotta be quiet about it. She's worried she'll lose it."

"Why?"

Beth looked down and twined their fingers together. "She lost one while ya were gone the first time. That's why she had the tests."

"Shit."

"Yeah. Then I found out I was, and it was hard for her for a while."

"Why didn't ya ever tell me?" he asked, pushing some hair away from her face so he could see her eyes.

"I didn't wanna burden ya with it."

"Ain't nothin' a burden to me. Ya come to me with anythin'."

"Will ya do the same?"

He blinked, surprised that she'd asked since she knew he was so quiet with things. "I'll try."

Beth kissed his jaw and smiled. "This is such a good thang, Daryl."

"How?" he asked. "Ain't nothin' in this world worth seein' no more."

At that, Beth sat up and leaned over him. "Life is movin' on. We're not just givin' up and dyin'. We ain't afraid to live. Odessa will have a cousin. Our family's getting bigger. We'll cope and keep gettin' stronger. Daryl, we can't just roll over and die. We gotta keep livin' for everyone that we've lost along the way. We gotta make sure that the good still lives even if it seems like the shitty people are doin' better.

"More than anythin', our girl is gonna know how so many people fought and died so that she'd have a chance here. She's gonna know that her uncle put his sweat and blood into fortifying this place even if he was a stubborn asshole most of the time. She'll know that her granddaddy lost his leg tryin' to clear the tombs.

"Everyone here will tell her about someone they've lost, and they'll live on through her, through Maggie and Glenn's baby—through us."

He reached up and cupped her jaw. "Ya really think that?" His eyes searched her, but all he saw was absolute sincerity.

"Yes."

"Even if we end up livin' in this prison forever?"

"Even if," she said and kissed him. "I think we'd be pretty lucky to get to stay here. We're gonna be self-sufficient soon, and we'll only have to take runs every once in a while."

For some reason, he let her faith seep into his chest, and he said, "You're right. I think folks are movin' north now, anyway. Since the cold slows 'em down. Maybe the walkers will follow."

Her smile was big, and she nodded. "See, look there! Ya've got a little hope, too."

Daryl shook his head. "I don't know about that." He shrugged. "Got you. Got her. That's more than I deserve."

"Just you wait, Daryl Dixon, I'm gonna make ya see how much you're worth."

"Like I said earlier, songbird, just keep reminding me. I'm hardheaded. It's gonna take a while for it to stick."

"I got all the time in the world for you."

He prayed so hard that she was right, but even if she wasn't, he'd treasure every single second he had with her and their family.


	25. Chapter 25

Epilogue

Thank you all so much for all your love and support for this story!

I have loved reading your thoughts, and I hope you love this epilogue!

* * *

**Ten years later**

The fences were in need of patching again, but they had everything they needed inside the utility building, so Daryl wasn't too worried about it. He'd fix it after lunch.

Things had been calm recently, which was nice, but they always had a way of picking back up when he least expected it. Winter was turning to spring, so the few walkers still in the area would be wandering around better than before. Most of them had withered away to nothing over the years, so not many managed to make it to the fences in the first place.

The first five years at the prison were the toughest. Even with the pits and spikes, a couple of good-size herds caused some damage to the fence. Then there were the groups of people who tried to come through and take what wasn't theirs.

That happened three times, and each time, he'd taken lives without a second thought.

With all the bad, though, there was good, too.

They'd added to their group, and at one point, D block was full again with families and people looking for safety. No one stayed forever, though. They'd get comfortable in the prison without the immediate threat of walkers constantly and think they had a shot on the outside. Maybe to go north and find a safe zone or to find their families.

At the moment, C block was full with his original group, and D was a quarter full with random survivors who had turned up over the last couple of years. He'd proven himself right the first time they got new people: don't learn their names, don't be their friends. D block people came and went, but C block people were lifers. Or that's what D's called them now.

Daryl wouldn't go back out into the nothingness ever again. Didn't make sense.

A lot of the D block members left in the seventh year at the prison when a convoy of military vehicles drove right up to the gate and an official-looking man stepped out of a truck and told them that the U.S. government was building back up. That the walkers had been defeated.

When Rick had questioned just how they'd done that since eveyone had been infected, the army man stumbled over his explanation, saying that people would still have to take care of their own dead, and that a safe zone was now established in Washington, D.C. Any survivors would be welcomed, but if they wanted to stay where they were, it was fine. They'd be making notes of survivor camps, so they needed to expect a military presence to arrive in a couple of months to make reports to base.

They'd driven off, and no one had ever come back. The people from D who'd left a week later never came back, either.

Beth had told him not to write them off, but Daryl couldn't think of them as anything now but a walker's dinner or a walker themselves.

When they left, it had been hard on her and Odessa. They didn't follow his suggestions, and had made friends with some of the new people. His little girl had cried for days when another little girl named Sam had left with her parents.

He even stopped the dad the night before they left to try to get him to reconsider—just because he didn't like seeing Odessa sad. The man had shrugged and said, "We gotta keep movin'. This isn't a place to build a home."

Daryl stared at him for a moment before turning and going back to the cell he shared with his family. The man had made up his mind, and nothing would change it. He hoped they'd made it to where they were heading.

His group had remained relatively unscathed over the years. There were injuries and sicknesses, but they'd always held their own. Tyreese had lost a few fingers in an accident while fixing the fences, but he was fine now.

Glenn lost almost his entire arm when he got bit, but that time Daryl had been there, prepared and ready, and hacked that bastard off immediately after it happened. He'd lost a lot of blood, but they'd managed to keep his ass alive. Now, Daryl joked with him about it, saying that all the men in their family had lost something. Hershel with his leg gone, Glenn with his arm, and Daryl at the sight he'd lost in his eye.

To his complete disappointment, it never returned after he'd healed, and it started fading more over time. He could see shadows and movement, but he'd learned to not depend upon his left eye for much, especially when he was outside the fence.

"Daddy!" A shrill voice yelled behind him, and he looked over his shoulder toward the sound.

She looked so much like Beth, with the long blonde hair and same smile, but she had his eyes. He was pretty much screwed, too, because she was more stubborn than him and Beth combined, and she was only eleven.

"What're doin', doodlebug?" he asked as she reached him.

"Ugghhh, don't call me that. I'm not a baby." She popped a hand on her hip and jutted her chin out. Instinctively, he leaned away.

"You're my baby girl," he muttered and stared her down. "Why're ya out here?"

"I'm tryin' to help ya. I'm old enough now."

God, she reminded him of Carl when they'd first gotten to the prison. All about helping and pulling his own weight. He grew up way too fast, and Daryl didn't want that for Odessa.

"Ya got plenty of time for shit like this, girl. Go inside, find Judith, and y'all go read some books or somethin'."

"Don't wanna read," she sassed. "Ain't no use now, anyways."

Daryl shook his head. "Don't let your momma hear ya say that. Just 'cause ya ain't got a real school don't mean ya gotta be stupid."

"Survivin' is more important than readin'."

He thumped the back of her head, and she slapped his hand away. "Ya need to stop hangin' around Carl. Survivin' now ain't what it was when he was your age, ya hear me? Thangs have changed. Ain't as bad now." He shook his head and started walking. "Damn, girl, ya know how to track and hunt. Why the hell ya wanna fix a fence?"

When she was six, he'd gone out, found her a children's compound bow, and taught her how to shoot. She was a better shot than him most days now, especially because of his eye.

It went against everything Beth wanted, to let Odessa and him go outside the fence together and into the woods, but she trusted him and she knew it was going to happen sooner or later.

"Daddy," she said and stuck out her bottom lip. "Please?"

"You're worse than your momma with battin' those eyelashes to get your way."

The resulting smile that crossed Odessa's face transformed her into Beth again. He didn't even know why he bothered putting up a fight when it came to her.

Soon, they'd made it halfway around the prison, and Odessa was dragging behind.

"I don't wanna do this anymore," she said with a sigh.

"We only got a bit further to go," he answered.

They came around a corner to find a walker pressed up against the fence about knee height. His leg collapsed under him at an awkward angle.

"That's sick," Odessa whispered.

"Yeah, well, be glad they're like this now. Ain't had nothin' to eat in so long they're fallin' apart."

Daryl pulled his knife from his belt, crouched down, and ended the walker's life quickly.

"Doesn't that make ya feel bad? Killin' it?" she asked quietly.

"Naw." He shook his head and looked at her. "This ain't a real person. A virus—it's in all of us—infected its brain, and after it died, it restarted thangs. Remember, we told ya about the CDC?"

"I know. I just hate to think we all end up that way."

"Ya won't," he said with conviction.

"What about grandpa?" she asked quietly.

Hershel had been sick on and off the last few weeks, and he knew everyone was worried about what would happened when the day finally came.

"He's stronger than y'all think, 'Dessa. Everyone gets sick sometimes."

"I'm tired," she said, leaning against him.

Daryl moved his bow around to his front and lowered himself a little. "Hop on up."

"Seriously?" she asked, laughing a little.

"Yeah, it's a serious piggyback, doodlebug."

Odessa hopped up, and once she was secure, he started walking, his knees not feeling all that great under the extra weight.

"Why do ya call me that, Daddy?"

He thought for a second and then shrugged. "Don't really know. Just started callin' ya that when ya were about two, and it stuck."

She hummed and then asked, "Why do ya call momma songbird?"

Daryl smiled and looked over his shoulder at her. "'Cause she sings so pretty."

"Why doesn't Jase have a nickname?" she asked, laying her head against his back.

"He does. Can't say it out loud, though," he said and laughed.

Jase was eight and a holy terror. Daryl figured it was true what they said about kids paying you back for all the shit you did as a child. If Odessa was Beth's punishment, that fit. She was strong-willed and could sass back. But Jase was his punishment, and son of a bitch, that boy was going to drive him crazy.

The first thing that Beth had said after he was born was, "Daryl, oh my gosh, he's got your scowl."

And he did. That boy was him made over, and if Odessa had Daryl wrapped around her finger, Beth was useless when it came to Jase. She thought he was precious and mischievous and a mini-Daryl.

Daryl knew what was going on in that little hellion's head, and when there were screams in the laundry room and he had to go remove grass snakes from clothes buckets, he knew immediately who'd caused the problem.

"He's just a boy," Beth said, trying to calm him down.

He'd give her that. He was all boy. Daryl dreaded when he got old enough to use his looks for other purposes, too. Never in his life had Daryl thought he was an attractive man, but he could look at his son and see an air of confidence he'd never possessed. If there were girls in D when he came of age, there'd be a damn riot on their hands because he wouldn't put it past Jase to be a sneaky little shit with the girls.

He put Maggie and Glenn's boy to shame. Their son Tyler was about a year older than Jase. She lost two babies before one finally stuck. Maggie'd had a hard pregnancy and was bedridden for nearly all of it. They'd tried to have another one after his birth, but they hadn't been able to and didn't figure they ever would.

Tyler was quiet and cautious. He looked like Glenn, but had Maggie's temper when provoked. He and Jase were attached at the hip, and he hoped Tyler would be able to put a damper on Jase's more adventurous ideas when they got older.

When they got to B block, he unlocked the door and let Odessa inside. "Ya tell your momma that I'll be up in a bit. Gotta go talk to Rick."

Odessa nodded and yawned.

He just shook his head and locked the door behind her. He'd never understand why she'd wake up so early to try and find him. When he was a kid, all he did was sleep late.

A few minutes later, he found Rick sitting out in the yard on one of the picnic tables. He'd changed a lot over the years. Like Daryl, he was grayer than anything else, but he'd become more calculating, too.

He and Michonne were still very much together, but they'd never had any children. The two Rick had kept their hands full as it was. Carl was in his twenties, and he'd caused some issues a couple of years earlier when he knocked up some girl in D. Her parents made her leave the baby, and they took off about five months after she gave birth. Carl had been angry and lashed out a lot. He didn't know what to do with a kid, and neither did anyone else. Formula wasn't an option anymore and it wasn't like they had milk. They didn't even have any other women who were nursing babies.

The little thing almost died before she started taking the bottles of broth. Even then they weren't sure how she'd digest it.

Her name was Lori, and she was about a year old.

Rick had problems calling her that and had taken to calling her L.G. Daryl called her that, too, out of solidarity to his brother. He couldn't imagine how he felt dealing with all that and then taking care of Judith, who, as she got older, looked more and more like Shane than Rick.

Judith was Odessa's best friend, and neither of them knew what had happened between Lori and Shane. And while Carl hadn't known when it was happening, he quickly picked up on it one day when Judith smirked up at him and looked like Shane's double.

He'd confronted Rick about it, but Rick had told him that it wasn't any of his business. That just confirmed Carl's suspicions and made things worse. That was when Carl started calling his daughter L.G., too.

"Whatcha doin' this mornin'?" Rick asked as he sat down beside him on the bench seat.

"Checkin' the fence. Gotta spot that needs fixin', and I killed a walker at the back of A."

"Really?" Rick turned and looked at him, shocked at the news.

"Yeah, but it was bad. Legs pretty much gone. Didn't even growl."

"Huh." He looked down at the ground. "Can't believe we've made it this far, ya know?"

Daryl grunted in response.

"We've come a long way."

"Got a long way to go, too," Daryl answered.

"Yeah."

They looked over the yard as the sun rose a little higher in the sky. Daryl knew that Beth would be up and getting Jase dressed and then going down to start breakfast. If he wanted to catch her alone for a few seconds, now would be the time.

"Gonna go find Beth," he said, standing up.

Rick nodded and stood up. "Gonna go find Michonne. Talk to her about L.G."

"What's wrong with the baby?" Daryl asked, pausing.

"Nothin'. Just Carl ain't really doin' much, ya know? Don't know how to fix it. Mika's been takin' care of her most of the time. She sleeps in her cell."

Daryl nodded. He knew Mika had taken charge of the baby, despite Carol telling her she was too young to get caught up with things like that. Mika was nineteen and perfectly capable. She was also in love with Carl and had been for as long as Daryl could remember. It was a damn shame Carl seemed to look right past her. Daryl figured Carol just really didn't want to see Mika's heart broken down the road, and that's why she put up such a fuss about it.

He shrugged, saying, "Don't really know what ya can do. Boy's gotta figure it out on his own."

"Yeah. Just feel like this is all my fault."

"It ain't. Ya didn't make the decisions that led to her bein' here. Hell, it ain't even your fault about Judith. You're just the one still around to deal with the fallout."

Rick sighed heavily. "Wish it were easier."

"I hear that. Give Jase about ten years and you'll be talkin' me down from the ledge."

"Ya think we'll be here in ten years?"

Daryl shrugged. "If not here, we'll be somewhere together. Don't ever see us partin' ways, ya know? Even if those military guys somehow make it back our way. I think the world we knew is over. I don't mind livin' and dyin' here."

He turned and started back for B block, leaving Rick to think about what he'd said. He walked up the stairs to their cell—the same one they'd shared for the last decade—and heard Beth let out a frustrated groan.

"Jase Augustus Dixon, if ya don't get your little butt over here right now, I'm gonna beat you, child!"

The delighted laughter let him know that Jase was not threatened one lick by what his momma had said. Soon as he crossed the door, though, Jase dropped from between the top bunk and the bars and looked like a perfect angel.

"Mornin'," Daryl said, staring at his youngest.

"Mornin', Daddy," Jase said and smirked. Daryl looked at Beth and smirked, too.

"Lord help me," she sighed, looking at the ceiling. "It's like God pressed repeat."

Daryl laughed quietly and sat on the edge of the bed. "Get your clothes on, boy. Can't go runnin' 'round naked."

"Don't like 'em," Jase replied, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Didn't ask if ya liked 'em," Daryl replied as he pulled off his vest and jacket. He'd gotten a little walker blood on his shirt and wanted to change, so he pulled off his button-up and reached over to get a new one.

"Daddy, how'd your back get all scratched up again?"

Years ago, Daryl would have flinched, but now he just smiled and pulled on another shirt. "I'll answer ya when ya get dressed."

Both his kids had asked about his back at some point when they were small, but he'd just shrugged them off, preferring to change the subject. They just took him as he was. Daddy always had scars and tattoos on his back. It was just the way things were. It was the first time Jase had asked in a very long time, so he pulled up his pants and tugged on a plain T-shirt as quickly as he could and then looked over at his daddy expectantly.

"Wrestlin' a cougar," Daryl said with a straight face.

Jase's eyes widened, and he looked at Beth to confirm. "Your daddy's a tough man," she answered.

"I'm gonna go tell Tyler," he said and ran out of the room.

When he was far enough away, Beth closed the curtain and straddled Daryl's lap. Ignoring the interaction before—even still, she never pushed him on things like that—she said, "Odessa tells me there was a walker."

"Yeah."

"She worries me with how she wants to be a part of everythin'."

Daryl shrugged. "I'll keep an eye on her."

Beth rolled her eyes at his joke and kissed him softly before laying her head on his chest.

Daryl looked around the room. It had changed a lot over the last few years. Across the room, they'd removed the bottom bunk and put a twin mattress on the bottom for Odessa. They'd tried to put another twin mattress on the floor for Jase when he was about five, but he insisted on sleeping on the top bunk. With a few screws and pipes, Daryl created a railing to keep him from falling off in his sleep.

He didn't think that he and Beth would ever feel safe enough to let them sleep in their own cell before they were a lot older. Even then, he'd probably still check on them nightly. Hell, they still locked the cell door every night as it was.

"What are your plans for the day?" she asked softly.

"Fix the fence later then nothin'. Might go out huntin'."

She hummed quietly then said, "Ya know what today is, right?" The little press of her hips into his lap made him perk up immediately.

"The day you're gonna finally kill me? Damn, woman," he whispered, holding her hips.

Her eyes lit up and she grinned. "It's library day with Sasha. So we have thirty minutes of privacy right before lunch time."

Daryl shook his head. "How the hell did I forget about that? That's tha best day of my week."

"You're gettin' old and forgetful."

"Watch your mouth, sunshine," he said teasingly.

She began to kiss his jaw and then down his neck until she was kneeling between his legs.

"Why don't ya watch it for me?"

Of course, the moment she touched his dick, high-pitched screams started coming at them and Beth hopped up, straightening her already fixed clothes.

"Cock-blockin' little bastards," he muttered, and Beth slapped his shoulder playfully.

"They're birth control."

"Can't get knocked up from swallowin', anyway."

Beth laughed loudly and placed her hand on her chest. "Be still my heart."

At that moment, Tyler and Jase ran through the curtain and skidded to a stop in front of Daryl.

"Uncle Glenn said daddy's tellin' tha truth, and Tyler wants to see 'em, too!"

Beth shot Daryl a look that told him all he had to do was say the word, and she'd put an end to this. He just shrugged and pulled his shirt over his head as he turned around.

Life was too short, and he'd come too far, to let his back bring him down anymore.

"Cool," Tyler whispered. "Uncle Daryl, you've got to be one of the strongest people here."

"Your old man's pretty tough," Daryl said as he pulled his shirt down. "Your granddaddy is, too. Y'all run on and talk to him about his leg."

Without a second glance, they were off. They knew the story of Hershel's leg, but it was about time they heard all the gruesome details, and Hershel was a hell of a storyteller.

"You're so good with them," Beth told him with a grin on her face. "Couldn't have picked a better man to have babies with."

"Well, I played hard to get as long as I could before I finally just gave in."

Beth bit her lip and walked toward him. "Am I your first choice?" she asked.

"For what?" he asked, completely forgetting what they were talking about because she licked her bottom lip and stared at his zipper.

"Havin' your babies," she said softly.

"Didn't even know I wanted 'em until I held 'Dessa," he answered truthfully. "So, yeah, you're my first and only choice. My children were bound to be demons, so they needed a touch of angel to make 'em bearable."

Beth stood in front of him and laughed, her cheeks tinged light pink. "Who knew that once I got ya talkin', ya'd say some of the corniest thangs."

"I didn't." He gripped her hips and pulled her to him. "I think we should go inspect tha bathroom. Ya look like ya wanna swallow my dick right now, and I'm all for that."

"You're still so crude, though," she said and started walking out the cell door toward the bathroom.

"Call it like I see it," he said, following after her.

Just as she was about to slip inside the door, she met his eyes and smirked. "Never said ya were wrong. Just said ya were crude."

"Fuckin' yes," he mumbled and shut the door behind them.

When he turned around, he saw that Beth had pulled a towel over and was kneeling on it. She didn't waste any time unbuckling his belt and sliding his pants down a little. "Lock tha door," she whispered before she licked around the tip of his dick.

His hand fumbled with the lock, turning it finally, and then settled into her hair. Years had definitely passed, and he couldn't go for as long as he once could, but he sure as hell didn't have trouble pitching a tent in his jeans when Beth gave him a certain look.

Daryl leaned his head back and closed his eyes. "Damn, woman, just like that." He groaned softly, pushing her further down. She hummed around him and made his balls tense up.

Lately, she'd been ready to go all the damn time, and he was trying desperately to keep up. He definitely wasn't complaining. If he couldn't get it back up, and she still wanted more, he sit her on the counter and lick her pussy until she was pushing him away.

He made sure that she left that bathroom satisfied as hell after they got to sneak away.

"I'm gonna come soon," he said as he visualized the last time he ate her out on that counter. Flushed all the way down her neck and covering her tits. "Real soon." He clenched his jaw.

She just moved faster, taking her hand to jack what part of his dick didn't fit in her mouth.

"Fuck yes, baby." He tangled his fingers deeper into her hair and thrust against her. He was flying, and his vision blacked a little in his good eye. His woman could suck dick.

"Just wanna go to sleep now," he mumbled.

"That's not unusual." Beth laughed and stood up, wiping her bottom lip with her index finger. She looked fucking sinful with her lips all swollen and red. "What are ya starin' at?"

"You," he whispered and pulled her to him, trying to kiss her.

"Ummm, I just had your come in my mouth." She pulled away.

"I don't give a shit," he said, pulling her back. "Watched you pop out a kid. If I was gonna run away from fuckin' around with ya, it have been after ya had Jase. Now, kiss me."

Beth bit her bottom lip before she stood on her tiptoes, taking her hands and running them up his arms, to his shoulders, and then curling in the short hair on his neck. The resulting kiss made his knees weaker, and he didn't know that was possible. He walked her back and sat her on the counter, sucking on her bottom lip, kissing over her jaw and then down her neck.

He started moving his hand up her thigh, and she parted her legs for him, her shorts offering him perfect access.

"Ya wet?" he asked, rubbing her panties, knowing the answer.

"God, yes." She moaned when he moved the panties aside.

"I fuckin' knew it. Can smell ya." He bit her shoulder, and she tilted her hips towards his hand.

Just as he was about to sink his finger into her, the door burst open and Jase yelled, "I knew I could do it!" Daryl figured he and Beth looked like deer caught in headlights because they froze in place. "Why's your hand in Momma's pants?"

"Christ Almighty, ya little shit!" Daryl jumped back and yanked his hands in the air.

"That's a bad word," Jase said and smiled sweetly.

"Yeah, well, breakin' and enterin's a crime. Door was locked for a reason." Daryl slammed the door and leaned against it while his son pushed against it with all his might. "Go on outside, and we'll practice with sister's bow, okay?"

"Hell yes!" Jase yelled, and they could hear his steps as he ran away.

"You're gonna have to do somethin' with his language, Daryl," Beth said as she slid off the counter.

"Get your ass back up there."

"Moment's long gone." She laughed and closed her eyes. "We've got to find somethin' to put against tha door, too."

Daryl nodded, ran his hands through his hair, and tugged. "I'm gonna get ya later," he said quietly. He reached out and grabbed her, dragging her to him and kissing her hard. "Love ya."

"Love ya, too." She smiled up at him and sighed.

They left the bathroom, parting ways outside the kitchen. It didn't take Daryl long to find Jase, who'd already set up the target and was shifting restlessly from foot to foot.

"You taught 'Dessa to shoot when she was six. Why'd ya wait so long to teach me?" he asked as soon as Daryl was close enough.

"'Cause ya jack around too much," he said, taking the bow from his son's hand. "Looks good, little man. Show me what ya got."

Jase smirked and took the bow back before turning to the side. Daryl watched him load the bow, hold his fingers correctly, pull back, aim, and then let the arrow go with a fluid motion that made him seem like a natural.

"How long ya been sneakin' out here with your sister?" Daryl asked quietly, and Jase's face paled. "Ain't no use in lyin'."

Jase toed the ground. "Not too long. Just wanna be prepared, ya know. Take care of Momma," he said and looked up at his daddy through his lashes.

Daryl shook his head and tried to hold in a laugh. "Your momma can handle herself." Then he scrubbed a hand over his jaw. "Guess I need to go lookin' for a bow of your own."

Jase hollered, "Hell yeah, dad!" and jumped up and down in front of him.

Daryl reached out and laid a heavy hand on his shoulder. "You're gonna have to stop that shit around your momma, ya hear me? She don't like ya cursin'."

"Yes, sir," Jase said but couldn't contain his smile.

Daryl took a few steps back. "Keep on practicin'. You're good, but we still got a ways to go."

He spent the rest of the morning giving Jase little pointers here and there but mostly watching his eyes light up when he hit the target dead on. Odessa joined them and impressed him more than he could say.

Somehow, he'd help raise two kids who were smart, strong, and capable. Everything he'd never been as a kid. He felt so much pride as he watched them, and he finally accepted that there had never been anything wrong with him. His parents were the ones who were fucked.

"So Jase is really good," Beth's voice made him turn his head to his right.

"Yeah," he said quietly. Daryl wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her to him until she was leaning her head against his chest.

"Shoulda known. He's gonna be just like you."

"He's gonna be better," Daryl said and nodded. "They both are."

Didn't matter what came their way next, whether it be moving or fixing that fucking fence again for the hundredth time, Daryl felt an odd calm settle over him.

Things might get hard, but they were going to be okay.


End file.
